83% of surveyed stakeholders in Ukraine’s energy sector report a growing need for skilled workers. Technicians, electricians and engineers are particularly difficult to find, according to a new report from REE-Skill Ukraine.
Ukraine is now entering its fifth winter since Russia’s full-scale invasion, as Russian attacks continue to target the country’s energy supply. When electricity and heating systems fail, the consequences are felt by hospitals, businesses and ordinary people in their everyday lives. Rebuilding the energy system is therefore critical both to Ukraine’s resilience during the war and to its long-term future.
Yet even with investments in new energy facilities and infrastructure, reconstruction efforts risk being held back unless there are enough skilled professionals to turn these projects into reality.
This is one of the key findings of a new report from REE-Skill Ukraine, which examines skills needs among companies and organisations working in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The report finds that 83% of respondents have experienced growing demand for skilled workers over the past two to three years, while 94% report a decline in the availability of labour.
”“When we talk about rebuilding Ukraine’s energy system, the focus is often on funding and new infrastructure. But these investments depend on having people with the right skills to put them into practice. The report shows that the shortage of skilled workers is already a real challenge,” says Sara Petrycer Hansen from Mentor to Impact.
Technical skills are the hardest to find
The shortage is particularly evident in the technical roles that are essential to reconstruction. Among respondents, 44% identify technical installation skills as some of the hardest to find, while 39% highlight areas such as electrical and grid-related expertise, engineering, and operations and maintenance.
At the same time, Ukraine must not only restore the energy system that existed before the war, but also modernise it by expanding renewable energy and local energy generation. This places additional demands on the skills and capabilities of the workforce.
”“Ukraine must do more than simply rebuild the energy system we had before. We also need to create a greener and more resilient system that is less vulnerable to attacks. This requires both new technology and skilled professionals with the right expertise,” says Andriy Konechenkov from the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association.
From assessing skills needs to building capacity
With the initial assessment of skills needs now completed, REE-Skill Ukraine will use the findings to identify opportunities for concrete training initiatives and partnerships that can help address the shortage of skilled workers in Ukraine’s energy sector.
”“Rebuilding Ukraine’s energy system is not something any single organisation or sector can achieve alone. It requires close cooperation between businesses, public authorities, educational institutions and international partners. Our ambition is to bring these actors together and develop practical solutions that strengthen local skills and capacity across Ukraine, making training opportunities accessible to communities throughout the country,” says Michael Dahl, Partner at Rud Pedersen Danmark.
REE-Skill Ukraine is a collaborative initiative between Mentor to Impact, the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association and Rud Pedersen Denmark, aimed at strengthening skills and expertise in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Ukraine.
The first phase of the initiative, supported by the Ramboll Foundation, focused on mapping skills needs and identifying barriers to workforce development in Ukraine’s energy sector. The next phase will explore partnerships and hybrid mobile training solutions to support education and upskilling across the country.
The survey was conducted between April and June 2026 through an online questionnaire distributed to 80 companies and organisations in the Ukrainian energy sector. A total of 18 stakeholders responded. The findings were subsequently supplemented by a small number of qualitative interviews with selected stakeholders from the energy sector.
Thank you to the Ramboll Foundation for its support of this project.
Contact
- Ukrainian Wind Energy Association (UWEA): Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of the Board (konechenkov@ukr.net)
- Mentor to Impact: Sara Petrycer Hansen, CEO (sph@mentortoimpact.dk or +45 3022 4785)
- Rud Pedersen Danmark: Michael Dahl, Partner (michael.dahl@rudpedersen.com or +45 5152 3651)
Read the report
