The wind industry in South Africa will generate up to 35 700 new jobs by 2030, paving the way for new careers in wind, says national skilling initiative Just Energy Transition Skilling for Employment Programme (JET SEP).

To support this demand for specialised workforce, crane rental and heavy lifting services provider Sarens is operating a technical training centre in South Africa, specialising in onshore wind energy, renewable-energy construction and heavy lifting operations, with a strong focus on safety and technical excellence aligned with Global Wind Organisation (GWO) standards.

“South Africa’s construction sector showed a net increase of 55 000 jobs in the second quarter of 2025 compared [with] 2024, according to figures from the ‘Quarterly Labour Force Survey’ from State-owned statistics provider Statistics South Africa,” Sarens noted, adding that, as the workforce scales up to deliver on renewable-energy targets, the demand for skilled wind technicians is growing faster than ever.

The GWO forecasts the global wind sector will need a workforce of 532 000 technicians by 2028 – with about 40% expected to be new recruits.

The Sarens Academy focuses on GWO and scarce-skills training, among other courses related to the renewable-energy sector and beyond.

The JET SEP’s forecast for growth in employment in the wind sector aligned with the release of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025, developed by the Department of Electricity and Energy, which points to an onshore wind generation capacity of 34 000 MW by 2039.

Such “enormous potential” highlights the urgency for the country to develop a technically skilled workforce, noted Sarens.

Consequently, the Sarens Academy is not limited to developing wind energy-related skills but also works in other sectors that require safety training, offering all mandatory health and safety training for the construction, onshore, offshore, oil and gas, transport and crane sectors.

A unique feature of the Sarens Academy is its multidisciplinary nature, covering crane operation, lifting, logistics and wind energy, within an accredited framework.

The company added that many African countries lack local facilities that comply with GWO and/or International Organisation for Standardisation standards, or even locally recognised accredited skills development programmes, meaning that workers often have to travel abroad to obtain certification.

Sarens Academy fills this gap by offering world-class training locally, reducing costs and enabling faster workforce readiness for African projects.

International Offering

Although Sarens Academy’s main market is South Africa, with its headquarters in Cape Town, many of its students come from other African countries to learn in the GWO-accredited facilities and receive internationally-recognised training before returning to their home countries to support local wind energy and heavy lifting projects.

This model ensures regional capacity building and cross-border knowledge transfer.

Further, Sarens noted that, while the most recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey revealed that disparities between men and women in the South African labour market continue to exist, the differences are narrowing.

To that end, Sarens Academy “thrives” on inclusive development, encouraging and actively promoting inclusion of women and unemployed youth.