German Development Cooperation and the Bangladesh Power Management Institute (BPMI) have launched specialised training programmes in solar and wind energy to strengthen the skills of engineering professionals and support Bangladesh’s transition towards renewable energy.
The initiative is being implemented under the Skills Development for Sustainable Energy Solutions (Skills4SE) project, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Over the past four months, 77 professionals have successfully completed the programmes, including 64 graduates from solar photovoltaic training and 13 from wind power training. To mark the achievement and the strengthened institutional capacity of BPMI, an event titled “Just Energy Transition (JET): Opportunities and Challenges in Developing a Skilled Workforce for the Power Sector” was held in Dhaka on Sunday.
The event brought together representatives from government, power utilities, academia, the private sector and development partners to discuss the growing demand for specialised skills as Bangladesh expands its renewable energy initiatives. Participants discussed emerging workforce requirements in areas including solar photovoltaics, wind power, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and hybrid renewable energy systems.
Ulrich Kleppmann, Counsellor and Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Dhaka, stressed the importance of developing skilled professionals to ensure a successful energy transition. “A successful just energy transition requires not only appropriate policies, investments, and technologies, but also a skilled workforce capable of planning, operating, and sustaining modern energy infrastructure,” he said while speaking as the Guest of Honour.
He said the German Development Cooperation’s partnership with BPMI demonstrated how local institutions could be strengthened to lead and sustain capacity building for future generations. Representatives from the Power Division and the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) also shared their views at the event.
The discussions resulted in recommendations for BPMI to further strengthen its curricula in line with industry requirements and enhance its role as a leading centre for renewable energy capacity development in Bangladesh. The organisers said the collaboration between German Development Cooperation and BPMI would contribute to developing the skilled workforce required to plan, operate and maintain Bangladesh’s emerging renewable energy infrastructure.
