Network Schools to plug France’s electrical network skills gap by 2030

French TSO RTE, along with Enedis, are part of a consortium of 10 to create the ‘Network Schools 2030’, a five-year work programme in France aimed at meeting the growing need for skills in electrical network professions. 

The programme, a continuation of the Grids Schools for the Energy Transition scheme launched in 2023 in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education, represents a total investment of €22 million ($25.6 million), including a €9 million ($10.5 million) grant from France 2030, an investment plan managed by the General Secretariat for Investment on behalf of France’s Prime Minister. 

Three key objectives guide the programme: 

• enhance the attractiveness of technical professions, particularly among young people and women; 
• deploy training programmes targeted to the needs of companies in the sector, from vocational baccalaureate to Master's degrees; 
• promote and facilitate professional retraining for jobs in electrical networks, by setting up suitable pathways, particularly for job seekers and young people in integration programmes.

The programme is structured around 46 actions which aim to transform the training schemes currently offered in the industrial sector of electrical networks (network managers, suppliers, service providers, etc.).

Examples include:

• Orientation kit for 320,000 middle school students.
• Mentoring scheme for 600 women.
• New courses for network installers and the creation of 15 technical platforms.
• Training of advisors working in France’s public employment service, France Travail.
• Certifications for emerging professions such as the installation of charging stations for EVs, and hybrid courses integrating electrotechnics, telecoms and digital technology for engineers.

Commenting in a release was Marianne Laigneau, Chair of the Enedis Management Board and President of FIERE:  

“For the first time, industry, training providers, employment agencies, and innovators are joining forces around a common project: attracting, training, and supporting the talent France needs to successfully achieve the energy transition. 

“It unites 1,600 companies and 100,000 employees and embodies our collective ambition: to strengthen the country's energy sovereignty, create sustainable jobs, and make our professions visible and attractive, particularly to young people and women. Together, we are preparing for France's second major electrification.

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Said Xavier Piechaczyk, Chairman of the Board of RTE: “The Network Schools 2030 programme is a crucial project for the implementation of the industrial programme for the electricity network sector, but also a project of general interest for the country. 

“Investments in networks by 2040 will represent the equivalent of those made by France during the post-war boom. Without a sufficient number of well-trained men and women to carry out these investments, we will not be able to meet the challenges of the energy transition.”

Bruno Bonnell, Secretary General for Investment, in charge of France 2030: “The Networks School is a strategic investment by the French government in line with France 2030. 

“The creation of FIERE (the Industrial Sector of Electricity Network Companies) demonstrates the sector's commitment to organising itself to meet the challenges ahead. The ‘Networks School’ project is an example of this momentum, with the creation of new training programmes and certifications adapted to the sector's technological developments."

Under the patronage of the Industrial Sector of Electrical Network Companies (FIERE), the consortium includes as members Enedis, RTE, Nexans, France Travail, the Apprentis d'Auteuil Foundation, the Campus of Trades and Qualifications (CMQ) Smart energy system, the CMQ BTP and digital uses, the University Lyon 1, the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (CNAM) and the National School of Energy, Water and Environment of Grenoble (ENSE3).

Join us at Enlit Europe in Bilbao, Spain, where on 18 November from 4pm to 5pm there will be the Workforce Roadmap to 2050 session, where energy sector experts discuss the energy sector's skills gap.