By Thapelo Molefe
Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela says South Africa’s just energy transition will only succeed if it is driven by a strong skills base that empowers young people to take charge of the country’s shift towards cleaner energy.
Delivering the keynote address at the 2nd Pan-African Green Hydrogen Skills Conference held in Pretoria on Thursday, Manamela said South Africa’s energy future will depend not only on technology but on the capacity of its people to design, operate and own the systems that power the new economy.
The two-day conference, hosted by the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA), brought together representatives from government, labour, academia and industry to strengthen collaboration around the development of a green hydrogen skills ecosystem.
“A transition without skills is not a transition, it is a handover from us to others,” Manamela said.
“We could build infrastructure and attract investment, but still fail if our young people are not ready for the future.”
He said the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is working closely with Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to modernise qualifications and align them with emerging technologies such as hydrogen production, renewable energy, electric vehicles and smart grids.
“We cannot power the future with the skills and architecture of the past,” he said.
“What we are doing here, building the hydrogen skills ecosystem and aligning SETAs with industry is exactly the kind of coordinated, skills-led transition our country needs.”
Manamela said the department had established two key structures, the Just Energy Transition (JET) Skills Desk and the JET Skills Advisory Forum, under the Human Resource Development Council chaired by the Deputy President.
These structures aim to create a single, coordinated national skills framework to support the energy transition by bringing together government, business, labour, academia and civil society.
The JET Skills Work Plan, currently under national consultation, identifies green hydrogen, renewable energy, and new energy vehicles as key priority areas for targeted training and investment.
Manamela said this would help South Africa avoid fragmented efforts and ensure the country builds a national pipeline of skilled workers capable of driving the green economy.
He described green hydrogen as a “nation-building project” with the potential to reindustrialise South Africa, create dignified jobs and position the country as a continental leader in clean manufacturing.
“We have the political commitment to pursue hydrogen not as a niche experiment but as part of a broader strategy of green industrialisation,” he said.
“But resources do not build industry, people do, and so do institutions and skills.”
The minister said the country’s natural advantages, such as world-class solar and wind resources, platinum-group metals critical to hydrogen production, and an established science base, give South Africa a unique opportunity to anchor hydrogen production for local use and export.
Manamela emphasised that the transition must benefit workers across all levels of the value chain, not just engineers and scientists.
“If taxis are going to be using green hydrogen, taxi drivers have to benefit from that,” he said, adding that the department is encouraging SETAs and industry to promote training that supports artisans, technicians and operators as well.
He said CHIETA’s leadership, along with other SETAs such as TETA and the Mining Qualifications Authority, had already led to the establishment of a Green Hydrogen Centre of Specialisation in partnership with the CSIR.
Future plans include developing a hydrogen sector skills plan, creating skills development zones, and embedding training programmes in regions such as the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga, where the transition will be most visible.
Speaking after the event, Manamela said South Africa’s institutions were ready to deliver the new qualifications developed with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO).
He said universities, TVET colleges and community colleges will work together to train students across the entire green hydrogen value chain, supported by new bursary and career development initiatives.
“It’s not about one institutional type. It’s about how all these institutions collaborate to create skills across the green chain,” he said.
“With new qualifications, funding programmes and centres of specialisation, we want to excite young people to take up studies in these areas.”
Closing his address, Manamela urged delegates to ensure that South Africa’s energy transition becomes a platform for empowerment rather than exclusion.
“We must ensure that the energy transition is not a handover to others, but a generational opportunity for our people. If we build the jobs, we will also build a country worthy of the young people who depend on us,” he said.
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