QUALIFY FOR A CAREER IN SOLAR
Updated September 4th, 2026
Leaving Cert results. CAO offers. Those life-changing letters and emails will soon be in the hands of another cohort of anxious, hopeful young people.
Even those who get the points they need, and the first-choice course they want, will wonder if it’s enough. Enough to kick start a career they’ll love. Enough to prepare them for a lifetime of work. Enough to out-skill possible AI competitors. Enough to earn a living wage and maybe, someday, buy a home. Enough to have a life. And their parents will wonder all those things, too.
We might not have been on every students radar years ago when they began their education journeys. But solar is now a growing industry, a career in solar is a reality and good, well-paid, in-demand jobs are available.
We’re also an industry that is looking to the future. Solar Ireland, our industry lobby, is surveying companies across the sector about the skilled workers they employ now, and the type of skills they think will be needed in coming years. In the words of Solar Ireland “To plan effectively, we first need a clearer picture of the work force we have today and the workforce we’ll need tomorrow.”
Pathways To A Career In Solar
In coming years, the solar industry will create work for qualified electricians, installation technicians and roofers and in areas from marketing to sales to customer service and HR. School leavers need to know that there are many pathways – not just the traditional Third Level framework – into a meaningful career in solar and renewable energy.
Greentechskillnet.com offers an array of springboards to a career in solar through its reputable, industry-led, subsidised and fully funded courses in the renewables sector. Recent and current offerings include Construction and Operations Safety for Solar Power and QQI Level 6 courses in Micro Solar Systems Implementation, Electrical Installation. The short intensive training courses – costing less than €1,000 – qualify students to register with the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEAI) as approved contractors.
Generation Ireland is part of a global charitable network “committed to supporting people facing barriers to employment into life-changing careers. The charity’s “boot-camp” style approach to teaching allows them to support a diverse student population, most of whom had previously faced barriers to good jobs – youth, ethnic minorities, women, single parents, the long-term unemployed, and from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Generation Ireland offers a free six-week, full-time course in solar installation.
For more traditional students, there are also a wide array of PLC and university Levels 7 and 8 courses available.
TUS – Technological University of the Shannon – spreads itself across seven campuses in the Midwest and Midlands. A student with 270 points can earn a Bachelors in Renewable and Electrical Engineering in just three years at the university’s Limerick City campus.
The University of Galway offers a joint Bachelors/Masters programme (Levels 8 & 9) in Engineering (Energy Systems). While entry requirements are stiff – 543 CAO points in 2026 round 1 – the degree covers innovative subjects such as zero-carbon energy systems, zero energy buildings, and smart grid technology.
In the coming weeks, as our students wrestle with this first big decision that many of them will make, it’s a good time for the rest of us to try to help them take the long view. Few of us “adults” are doing the jobs we trained for way back when, and some of the jobs we trained for don’t even exist anymore. Most of us, though, are thriving anyway. And by helping our students imagine their place in the sustainable economy of “future Ireland”, we’ll be doing out part to ensure they thrive, too.
Why Choose Solar In Ireland?
Investing in a solar panel systems in Ireland can bring many benefits, including reduced energy bills, increased energy independence, and a reduced carbon footprint. If you are interested in installing a solar panel system in Ireland, it is also worth exploring the different grant options and green business loans available and seeking professional advice from one of our solar energy advisors.
Feel free to contact us for more information, we’re here to help.
