Clean Energy Skills Conference: Building a Future-Ready Clean Energy Workforce in Cambodia
Cambodia's ambitions for solar energy, energy efficiency (EE), and electric vehicle (EV) adoption are driving demand for new skills and training pathways to help its workforce access emerging employment opportunities and be better prepared for the clean energy transition.
On September 16, 2026, the Royal Government of Cambodia, the Australian Embassy, and the Liechtenstein Development Service (LED), and Skills Development Fund (SDF), joined EnergyLab Asia for the Clean Energy Skills Conference, held as part of Clean Energy Week 2026. The conference was organised to exchange best practices and discuss how key stakeholders can work more closely together to build a skilled workforce capable of supporting Cambodia's clean energy transition and meeting national policy targets for EE, solar power, and EV adoption.
“The clean energy transition in Cambodia represents both a technological evolution and a fundamental realignment of skills and labour markets," said H.E. Heng Sour, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training.
He added:
Investing in human capital means equipping our youth with future-ready skills and lifelong learning pathways, an imperative for an economy increasingly shaped by digital innovation, green technology, and global mobility. Clean Energy Skills stand at the very forefront of this national transformation.
Cambodia's national policy targets aim for 70 per cent renewable energy in the power mix, a 19 per cent reduction in energy consumption, and 770,000 EVs on the road by 2030. An estimated 11,000 workers are needed annually in the solar sector as deployment expands to meet Cambodia's Power Development Master Plan (PDP) targets. Investments to meet National Energy Efficiency Policy targets are expected to generate 6,400–8,900 EE jobs.
“Meeting Cambodia's renewable energy and EV targets will require a significant expansion of the skilled workforce," said Natharoun Ngo Son, Regional Director of EnergyLab Asia. "Developing these skills does not only mean to build Cambodia’s clean energy systems faster – it means capturing more investment, creating higher-value jobs and retaining more of the economic value inside Cambodia.”
Cambodia's progress toward ensuring its workforce has the skills, knowledge, and readiness to participate in the clean energy transition requires strong coordination between government, development partners, training institutions, and industry, working closely together to enhance workforce readiness and align training systems with the evolving labour market and industry needs so that workforce development can lead to stronger employability and career opportunities.
“LED is proud to support Cambodia's clean energy workforce development,” said Leakhena Saroeurn, Country Coordinator Cambodia of the Liechtenstein Development Service (LED). "Investing in people and relevant skills training today is a key to creating pathways to employment and sustainable careers, while building the skills Cambodia needs for its clean energy transition. This investment lays the foundation for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient energy future for decades to come."
“The Skills Development Fund is committed to building the workforce capabilities Cambodia needs to capture greater value addition from this clean-energy transition,” added H.E. Ky Sokkim, Chief Executive Officer of Skills Development Fund. "If skills advance alongside technology, we can create better jobs, stronger enterprises, and greater local value in the emerging clean-energy supply chain. Let us build a clean-energy transition that Cambodian people can operate and benefit from—and Cambodian businesses can grow from.”
Clean Energy Week is an annual event that showcases success stories, best practices, technical innovations, and policy analysis to accelerate the clean energy transition in Cambodia. It convenes government policymakers, development partners, civil society, and private sector leaders to foster collaboration, while raising public awareness of clean energy among a broad local audience.
This press release was supplied.
