In December, representatives of 196 countries will meet in Paris to sign a new global agreement on climate change. The expected important and lasting agreement will be the result of the commitment of major world leaders, including the U.S. A huge contribution will be required from the worldwide solar energy industry in order to reach the agreed-upon global objectives.

In this respect, the European Energy Center (EEC), which works with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), has created an important collaborative network of U.S./European institutions to support training and education in the solar industry and improve skills in the global workforce.

These collaborations - the first of their kind in the sector - combine the specialist knowledge of industry experts and highly regarded university academics in both Europe and the U.S. The aim of these efforts is to disseminate knowledge from both sides of the Atlantic and provide professional development activities to benefit the careers of solar professionals. Specific activities include high-quality training seminars and conferences in universities worldwide, events and publications supported by UNEP, a series of interactive free online training webinars, and the EEC's Continuous Professional Development (Energy CPD) program.

For 40 years, the EEC has worked to promote best practices in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency sectors to help drive the growth required in the industry, improve the skills of workers and provide support to progress their careers and keep pace with technological innovations. Lately, the EEC has increased its training provisions in the U.S. through both online and classroom training seminars. The training programs are a continuation of the organization's global efforts in the industry, as it works with a network of international partners and creates relationships with global authorities and researchers in the field.

As a result, the EEC’s first transatlantic partnership - with George Washington University (GWU) - has been announced. The partnership combines the academic excellence of GWU with the experience of the EEC, an independent professional body that trains 5,000 individuals per year in over 300 training courses at 21 universities across Europe.

People who attend the professional training courses benefit from the practical and theoretical knowledge of university professors and leading experts in their fields. At the end of the seminars, attendees are able to pursue their own renewable energy projects with the help of the knowledge gained from the courses. Such professional training is in addition to the conferences, summits and roundtables that are organized with international partners on the latest technologies in renewable energy and energy efficiency across Europe.

These events stimulate the dissemination of technical knowledge and expertise worldwide. Solar professionals and students are invited to take part in the seminars and conferences in order to network with experts and learn vital information that can be shared among their own networks of colleagues.

The EEC is also dedicated to promoting the latest research and innovations within the sector. The EEC works with UNEP to produce a series of publications and articles detailing the latest technical information and advances - which are then circulated worldwide. Energy Learning, the official technical journal of the EEC, is a leading online publication that runs parallel with international special issues published in print by the EEC and UNEP.

International research confirms what the EEC’s experience has already told us: Solar energy professionals must keep up to date with the latest technologies, gain recognition of their status and network more effectively in order to be successful in this fast-paced sector. The Energy CPD professional membership program has, therefore, been created as a free resource for all energy professionals and students who would like to mark their status within the industry and further their career progression.

Paolo Buoni is director of the EEC. To learn more about renewable energy and energy-efficiency training courses, visit euenergycentre.org.