Smart Career Moves for School Leavers and Beyond
Updated June 6, 2024
By Morgan Pierce
“Knocker-Upper” – don’t laugh! That was a real job back in the 1800s. Before the invention of the alarm clock, workers were hired to go around making loud noises – like shooting peas at windows – to wake people up.
Have you heard of any of these jobs? A telegraphist (responsible for sending and receiving Morse code using telegraph), a lamplighter (would go around town extinguishing and lighting gas-burning street lamps), or a town crier (loudly proclaimed the latest news because many people were illiterate).
Those are the jobs I trot out every year at this time when talking to over-stretched parents and their over-stressed offspring about to sit the Leaving Cert. It’s very common to view the exam as a cliff-edge, with disaster only a few missed points away.
The truth is that many of us perfectly successful and well-adjusted adults are no longer doing the jobs we trained for. Sometimes, that’s because the job itself – like “Knocker-Upping” – has become obsolete. Sometimes, it’s because we discovered, having trained for our dream career, that it didn’t actually fit into the dream life we also envisioned for ourselves.
That’s all okay. Because along with those jobs that disappeared, and the careers that didn’t suit, whole new opportunities have sprung up.
Some of the most exciting of those opportunities are in the Environmental, Renewables and Sustainability sector. In a survey carried out by Ipsos MRBI, three-quarters of Ireland’s top engineers believe the “green economy” will drive Ireland’s economic future.
A report from the High-Level Group on Green Enterprise highlighted the sector’s potential to create over 80,000 jobs in the coming years. Those driving our economic future will include those trained for jobs in solar.
A week or so back, we highlighted the importance of attracting women to our industry. As students head into exams in the next week, we thought it might be helpful to point out some of the educational pathways into jobs in the green economy, and to provide a few other useful tips we’ve come across.
The new green economy will need engineers and electricians trained in energy system design and planning, in energy technology R&D and manufacturing, and in product/system installation and commissioning.
On a national level, jobs in the green economy will include experts skilled in energy policy analysis and development, in energy economics, greenhouse gas accounting and reduction, in energy management and efficiency consulting.
We know that there is currently a shortage of skilled workers to fill these jobs. So if you are a school leaver, or mid-career, and are looking to secure your economic future with some serious upskilling, where does one find the training needed to take on these forward-facing, green economy careers?
A first step would be to hop on to the CAO’s Careers Portal and use their course finder to browse through the wide range of offerings. Use the search term “renewable energy”, “solar”, “environment” or “climate” – you’ll be bowled over by the variety of courses available.
You could also have a look at the course offerings page on the CARO (Climate Action Regional Office) website. They give detailed listings of courses available – including post-graduate programmes – along with contact details for course directors.
For those already working, the Green Tech Skillnet is a resource for linking workers with the training required to upskill in the Irish renewable energy industry. Skillnet Ireland is funded through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science. That means that there is money available to help workers upskill. A quick look this week showed training programmes is a variety of relevant areas – including a Level 6 qualification in Micro Solar PV Systems Implementation.
SolarSmart is a growing company. Our goal is to have the capacity (and that requires skilled workers) to complete 1,500 solar installations a year over the coming decade. We know that other businesses in the sector feel the same level of optimism about the future of solar. If you think you might already have the qualifications needed to help Ireland make the transition to a sustainable, productive green economy, have a look at our jobs page for opportunities available now.
The world may not need lamp-lighters anymore, but we will always need people who know the new ways to keep the lights lit. Training for a future in the renewable energy sector looks bright.
Investing in Irish solar panel systems can bring many benefits, including reduced energy bills, increased energy independence, and a reduced carbon footprint. If you are interested in installing a solar panel system in Ireland, it is also worth exploring the different grant options and green business loans available and seeking professional advice from one of our solar energy advisors.
Feel free to contact us for more information, we’re here to help.