Green energy could create 30,000 jobs

Pursuing a consistent green-energy policy could create up to 30,000 jobs in Belgium, according to Agoria, the federation for the Belgian technology industry. Agoria has also underlined the opportunities this would represent for the workers soon to be made redundant by Ford in Genk. “The Genk tragedy shows that the car industry has reached saturation point in terms of high-growth markets,” says Jan Declercq, president of Agoria’s Renewable Energy Club. “However, this isn’t the case at all with renewable energies. The green sector is growing and our country could reap the benefits so much more from it, but only if we decide to play the ‘green energy’ card and invest properly in specialisation, innovation and entrepreneurship in this field.” He also suggests that the scheme would suit car-industry workers and says they could start working on the maintenance of wind turbines with immediate effect. “This is the kind of job that is perfect for someone who has deft hands and a technical approach, is precise, stress-resistant and unafraid of machines and can work in shifts,” he said.