Discover CleanTech
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Column
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The Skills Gap
As both the clean energy and clean mobility transitions are increasingly going through rapid digitalisation, skills in computer science and engineering, are and will be in high demand. Photo: dreamstime.com
David Hunt on the cleantech skills gap and how to enter the industry BY DAVID HUNT
As a self-confessed cleantech nerd, I was delighted to see the launch of Discover CleanTech magazine, and even more so when asked to contribute a regular column. I’ve had the pleasure of working in the cleantech sector since 2007, launching a solar business way before subsidy support and Feed in Tariffs. I rode the ‘solar-coaster’ of UK solar/energy policy, sat on the policy board for the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and really enjoyed building a pioneering, nationwide, multi-award-winning renewable energy company. We designed and installed all 74 |
Issue 03 |
June 2022
of the clean technologies on Armstrong Point, the UKs first net-zero energy business park. Most memorably, though, was a solar and wind installation that involved Bear Grylls, a boat and an outdoor toilet. Maybe more of that another time (or it may come up in a Google search!).
ecutive search (headhunting) and founded Hyperion Executive Search, to work exclusively in cleantech. Eight years later, we have teams in the UK, Germany and the US, and have helped some of the world’s most innovative cleantech companies to grow and scale.
Having fallen in love with cleantech and all that can be achieved with new, innovative and sustainable technologies, I wanted to find a way I could help more technologies, and more companies in the sector to grow. I returned to my earlier career in ex-
These days I spend much of my time mentoring and supporting cleantech companies and their founders as an Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR), mentor and speaker for some of the world’s leading cleantech accelerators, such as Plug & Play, Tech-