From zero to one hundred apprenticeships: Solar industry on course for skilled workers

The photovoltaic market in Switzerland remains on a growth trajectory: last year, more than 1500 megawatts of additional output were installed, achieving market growth of over 40% for the fourth year in a row. Additional growth is expected for the current year. At the same time, the industry association is also growing rapidly: almost 300 new members joined last year, and there are currently around 1,300 companies from the entire solar value chain.

Countering the climate crisis: 50 percent solar power by 2050 

In view of the rapidly worsening climate crisis, this rapid expansion of clean electricity production is essential, as climate scientist Prof. Thomas Stocker pointed out at the Swissolar General Assembly. This is the only way to achieve the necessary decarbonization. The President of the association, National Councillor Jürg Grossen, named a concrete goal: "By 2050, half of our electricity requirements should come from domestic photovoltaic systems. Swissolar members are in a position to install the necessary capacity - primarily on roofs, façades and infrastructure, supplemented by large-scale alpine systems".

However, the prerequisite for this is a Yes vote on the Electricity Act on 9 June: this sets clear goals and enables the ideal interaction of solar energy with hydropower and other technologies by promoting the decentralized use of solar power as close to consumption as possible and thus reducing the necessary grid expansion. 

Demand for skilled workers: measures are working

A major bottleneck in coping with market growth to date has been the need for skilled workers. Together with the Polybau training center, Swissolar has therefore quickly launched two new apprenticeships, which will be offered for the first time from August this year. Swissolar Vice President and National Councillor Gabriela Suter was pleased to announce at the meeting: "More than 90 apprenticeship contracts have currently been signed in all language regions, and by August there should be more than 120. This shows that it is attractive for young people to help shape the energy transition in Switzerland."

Also important are the courses and specialist events offered by the association, thanks to which the existing and many new providers in the solar industry are always up to date with the latest knowledge, thus ensuring a high quality of solar expansion.

Around 9,000 additional specialists are needed by 2035

A new brief study on the need for skilled workers was also presented at the Annual General Meeting. According to the study, around 11,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs) are currently employed in the Swiss solar industry, and almost 20,000 FTEs will be needed by 2035 to achieve the targets of the Electricity Act. In Swissolar's view, this is a realistic and achievable order of magnitude. The calculations also showed that the industry's current annual turnover is over 3 billion Swiss francs.

 New association strategy

Gabriela Suter presented the Association's new strategy for the period up to 2027 at the General Assembly. On the one hand, it contains measures to support members in managing growth and, on the other, to further develop Swissolar as a healthy, agile organization. 

Source: www.swissolar.ch