South Africa plans to launch the first of three skills development zones for the energy transition on Thursday, 29 October, in Nkangala, Mpumalanga province. A statement issued by the African Development Bank (AfDB) on Monday, 26 October, sets out two further launches: 18 November in the Northern Cape and March 2027 in the Eastern Cape.
Endorsed by South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training, the zones are intended to bring training providers, employers and local authorities closer together. The aim is to align qualifications with demand from renewable-power, electricity-grid, electric-mobility and green-hydrogen projects, while improving access to emerging occupations for young people and workers in coal-dependent regions.
Training shaped by employers’ needs
The initiative forms part of the Just Energy Transition Skilling for Employment Programme (JET SEP), led by the National Business Initiative (NBI) with public- and private-sector partners. A previously awarded $1 million grant from the AfDB, through the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA), supports preparations for the zones and skills-planning work. The 26 October announcement did not mark a new disbursement of that amount.
One of the tools developed under the programme is JET ATLAS, which forecasts the supply of and demand for skills across municipalities. It is designed to help training providers anticipate demand for electricians, technicians, welders and construction workers, existing occupations whose requirements are changing as energy projects expand.
The local focus matters particularly in Mpumalanga, where much of South Africa’s coal-fired power fleet is concentrated. Programme partners want to prepare opportunities for workers to move into other activities and help small local firms gain access to business generated by the energy transition.
A 2030 employment ambition
At the Green Livelihoods Summit in Johannesburg on 13 October, NBI chief executive Shameela Soobramoney outlined an ambition to enable 100,000 green jobs by 2030. This is a programme target, not a tally of jobs already created. The NBI says the first phase of JET SEP, launched in 2024, concentrated on identifying skills needs and engaging employers; the second is expected to focus on delivering training and projects.
Two further studies on skills and employment opportunities in the transition are scheduled to be presented at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. Their findings are intended to inform training and investment decisions linked to the three planned zones.