Green skills are needed to achieve the climate transition. Whether products, services or technical processes for sustainable production, renewable energy, materials technology or new mobility – skills for climate protection and the circular economy are essential across almost all professional groups and specialist areas. Many established educational programs now include various aspects of green skills. Traditional studies such as mechanical engineering, digital engineering or civil engineering provide an excellent basis for sustainable jobs.

In the meantime, more and more new, specialized scientific university courses and numerous specific green skills training courses are emerging. These courses have now been compiled in a comprehensive overview by Green Tech Valley together with GRETA, the Green Tech Academy Austria. The compact overview at greentech.at/skills thus provides a quick orientation for your own career in sustainability after graduation and in your profession.

80 green skills programs in the south of Austria

The educational institutions in the Green Tech Valley axis of Styria, Carinthia and Burgenland offer 80 training and further education programs for green skills. These include 31 courses, 30 master’s and 19 bachelor’s degrees. More than half of the courses are part-time or career-enhancing, including 30 courses, 12 Master’s and 4 Bachelor’s degree programs.

These include new and established courses such as the “Executive MBA Twin Transition” (Graz University of Technology), the “Master Global Green & Social Business” (FH Joanneum), the “Recycling Course” (University of Leoben), the “Master on Circular Economy” (University of Graz), the “Sustainable Business Models Course” (Carinthia University of Applied Sciences), the “Bachelor Building & Energy Technology” (Burgenland University of Applied Sciences) and the “Sustainability Management Course” (WIFI). In addition, numerous tailor-made microcredentials and certificate courses are also offered.

Sustainable business and energy are hot topics on the curricula

The content of the qualifications is largely characterized by extensive cross-cutting topics. The broadly defined areas of “Sustainable Economy” (26%) and “Energy” (21%) account for almost half of the curricula focus areas. The top four are completed by “Buildings” (15 percent) and “Interdisciplinary” (13 percent). The universities TU Graz, Uni Graz and Montanuni Leoben each offer more than ten courses.

Green skills ensure competitiveness

Whether renewable energies, circular economy or sustainable construction – the focus on green technologies and the related qualifications are the order of the day to ensure competitiveness. “GRETA provides industry and the manufacturing sector in particular with the best possible support on the path to green transformation – with tailored training programs in the areas of climate and circular,” explain GRETA Managing Directors Ernst Kreuzer (Graz University of Technology) and Doris Kiendl (FH Joanneum).