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Ecosystem Talk in Northern Netherlands: Required Competences for the regional H2 Economy


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On 19 March 2025, a regional Ecosystem Talk was held at EnergieHub050 in Groningen to explore the competences needed for the emerging hydrogen economy in the Northern Netherlands.

Front Row (from left): Trisha Janssens (New Energy Coalition), Eva van Rij (ENTRANCE, Hanze University of Applied Science), Anke de Poorte (ENTRANCE, Hanze University of Applied Science), Ida Yap (New Energy Coalition). Back Row (from left): Hans Drijfhout (Noorderpoort), Willem Hazenberg (DCTerra), Aletta Taekema (Noorderpoort), Moderator: Marcel Keonis (ENTRANCE, Hanze University of Applied Science), Gaute Myhren Kornberg Copyright: Organizing Team and Speakers of the day © 2025 by Fotostudio AM is licensed under CC BY-SA This image respects GDPR-compliant consent.
Visible on the right side of the picture is Anke de Poorte from Hanze University. She is speaking in front of the region's Stakeholders. Copyright: Anke de Poorte speaks in front of Stakeholders. © 2025 by Fotostudio AM is licensed under CC BY-SA
Two regional Stakeholder visible in front of the project's roll up speaking to each other. Copyright: © 2025 by Fototstudio AM is licensed under CC BY-SA

Ecosystem Talk in Northern Netherlands: Required Competences for the regional H2 Economy

The event was organized by New Energy Coalition, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Noorderpoort, and DCTerra as part of the H2CoVE initiative. A total of 26 participants joined the event, including stakeholders from vocational training to higher education (Alfa College, Noorderpoort, DCTerra, and Hanze University of Applied Sciences), as well as representatives from the Municipality of Groningen, New Energy Coalition, and businesses such as Gasunie and Wellgear. H2CoVE project manager Gaute Kornberg from Norway also took part.

The session focused on how hydrogen developments will impact the regional workforce. Rather than requiring complete retraining, most professions will need targeted upskilling to adapt to hydrogen-related tasks. Discussions also highlighted how company-led training programs could potentially serve a broader audience, contributing to a more inclusive learning environment.

A shortage of technically skilled workers remains a concern. Participants emphasized the need to spark interest in technology at an earlier stage of education to help build a future-ready workforce. Through an interactive session, key current and future roles in the hydrogen sector were identified. These included technical specialists, legal experts, and educators—with a particular emphasis on the need for creative thinkers or "idea generators" who can drive innovation.

The event closed with a strong sense of shared purpose: to align education and training more closely with the hydrogen transition and to strengthen collaboration across the region.

Additional Links & Insights:
H2CoVE - Ecosystem Talk: Required competencies for the regional H2 economy - YouTube Video