A generation is growing up knowing the planet is on fire, and still dreaming of building futures on it.
Climate change isn’t just an environmental crisis. It’s an aspiration crisis, and in the middle of it, green skills stand like an overlooked lever. As green sectors surge and traditional industries transition, a new kind of question is taking root in our skilling ecosystem. Not just what jobs will exist, but also what aspirations will be possible?
Future aspirations are shifting, and so are the skills that make them real, but they need an enabling ecosystem behind them.
The promise of green jobs lies not just in their economic value, but in their power to shape identity. They offer youth a path to meaningful, future-ready careers, ones that don’t force a choice between dignity, stability, and purpose. But the thing is, we’re still preparing for yesterday’s world of work.
According to the ILO, 8.4 million green jobs could be created in India by 2030. But without the right green skills, from technical knowledge in clean energy systems to softer capacities like climate resilience and systems thinking, we risk missing the moment. Or worse, we risk widening inequities between those who can afford access to these opportunities and those left behind.
The aspiration–readiness gap might be real, but not unbridgeable.
Across the country, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) are already evolving. Curricula are being revised, trainers are stepping up. But green skilling isn’t just about content, it’s about context. It’s about embedding sustainability into the DNA of vocational education instead of just adding it in the margins as a show.
FRSN believes that transforming the ITI ecosystem to be future-ready means building aspirations and capacities at once. That’s why our work doesn’t begin and end with a new module. It includes:
- Identifying systemic levers – Like understanding where green skills naturally intersect with existing trades (e.g., electrical, construction, automotive).
- Co-creating with industry – Ensuring the skills we cultivate match the real standards and shifts of green employers.
- Equipping trainers – Through capacity building that doesn’t just transfer knowledge, but reshapes perspectives.
- Partnering with government – So that pilots become policy, and impact scales sustainably.
Green skills aren’t a niche
Often, “green” is envisioned merely as a sector, a compartment tucked away from the rest of the economy. However, in reality, it serves as a crucial lens through which we must view the world.
From the intricacies of waste management to the complexities of logistics, and from the luxurious realm of hospitality to the robust domain of manufacturing, the green transition permeates every facet of our lives. What we urgently require now is a transformative skilling system that embraces this holistic perspective.
We aspire for our trainers to be more than mere educators who impart knowledge and then fade into the background, we want them to be catalysts who enrich students’ understanding of the vibrant, interconnected world they inhabit.
This is a call for a shift in focus, moving from merely teaching tools to cultivating a mindset, and transitioning from rigid modules to meaningful learning experiences that resonate deeply with the real world.
Green skills are more than just studying about solar panels
Green skills aren’t limited to wind turbines or solar panels. They stretch across sectors and cut deep into how we think, work, and solve problems. What makes them “green” is not just what they do, but what they enable ~ sustainability, resilience, and regeneration.
To better understand green skills, we’ll frame them in three essential layers:
- Technical Green Skills
These are the hands-on capabilities needed to power the green economy. Think of skills in energy efficiency, EV maintenance, sustainable agriculture, waste management, or solar installation. For example, retrofitting buildings for better energy use isn’t just a construction job, it’s a climate intervention. - Core Transferable Skills
Also called “21st century skills,” these include systems thinking, digital literacy, and adaptive problem-solving. In green work, these become even more essential. Can a factory technician optimize energy use based on data? Can a logistics worker reduce carbon footprint through smarter routing? That’s where these skills come alive. - Transformational Mindsets
This is the most overlooked layer, but perhaps the most powerful. It includes climate consciousness, ethical decision-making, and a sense of collective responsibility. A youth entering the hospitality sector doesn’t just need to sort waste, they need to see themselves as a steward of sustainable practices. That’s a mindset shift.
The green transition isn’t about slotting new jobs into old pipelines. It’s about redefining what work means in a world where every action leaves an imprint on the planet, on communities, on the future.
So what’s next for India’s green workforce?
The answer isn’t just in scaling technical training. It lies in scaling systems change. We must ask if:
- Our institutions are aspirational enough?
- We are listening to voices from the ground, youth, trainers, and employers.
- We are investing in the right enablers – data, co-created curricula, peer learning.
FRSN sees itself not as content creators, but as orchestrators of collaboration. We work alongside government, civil society, and industry to make sure India’s future workforce isn’t just employable, but empowered.
Building a green economy starts with building green aspirations, and that, in turn, starts with the stories we make possible.
Our most powerful tool against climate change….is a classroom. Let’s ensure every learner walks into it with a future worth imagining, and the skills to build it.
