There are ongoing departures from mining jobs. As we wrote in April, in 2026 employment in the Polska Grupa Górnicza will decrease by 14%, and the so-called The Mining Act grants protection benefits and early retirement pensions also to employees of other plants. After its planned amendment, the rights will be further extended. The sector is preparing for its inevitable extinction – but what about the people it relied on?
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60 trained people
One of the possibilities of finding a new career path after leaving the mining industry is a career in the renewable energy industry – for example in onshore wind energy. Such an opportunity is provided by the “Wind-Mine Opportunities” program addressed to miners, the last, sixth edition of which will start on June 22 and last until July 13. The training, organized jointly by EDF power solutions and Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń, is intended to prepare wind turbine technicians for work.
According to Alicja Chilińska-Zawadzka, CEO of EDF power solutions Polska, since the beginning of the program, ten miners have participated in each edition.
— It turned out to be the optimal number so that each person could be treated individually and receive the maximum amount of knowledge. We have trained 50 participants since 2023; after the last edition, which will start on June 22, there will be a total of 60 people – he explains.
Training for miners. Word of mouth worked
The program enjoyed great interest from the very beginning. The originator of the program recalls that recruitment was not easy at all at the beginning.
— The miners to whom we addressed the offer of participation were sometimes distrustful and did not quite know what to expect. There were also fears of the reaction of friends from the industry, reports Alicja Chilińska-Zawadzka. He adds that the meetings and other information measures finally worked.
— It also just came about through word of mouth. The participants of the first edition convinced others that the trainings were valuable and worth taking part in them – we hear.
“Wind-Mine Opportunities” training
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EDFpower solutions / EDFpower solutions
Mining and renewable energy are not that far away
The head of EDF power solutions Polska emphasizes that both mining and the renewable energy sector are in fact different parts of the broadly understood energy industry – therefore, similar skills are useful in both places, and miners can benefit from their experience.
— Miners are excellent specialists accustomed to technical work in accordance with procedures, operation of large machines and electrical devices and responsibility for their safety. Exactly the same competences are needed for wind turbine technicians. Of course, there are also new skills, such as working at heights and the specificity of equipment used in turbines, but employees of the mining sector do not start training from scratch. Their starting point is much further than that of people who have never had anything to do with energy, says our interlocutor. After completing the training, participants go to one of the three EDF power solutions Polska wind farms, where they can see up close the facilities with which they will be able to work.
Chilińska-Zawadzka stipulates that the organizers do not impose any conditions on participants to take up employment in their company after completing the course, and participation in it is completely free – fully financed by EDF power solutions Polska.
— Of course, many people have such plans. Many also intend to work in mining for some time, but they are already looking for new opportunities, he says.
“It's not just service and work on the turbine”
As for the demand for future specialists, the estimates of the Lewiatan Confederation, which we wrote about in Business Insider, indicate 300,000. new jobs in the entire renewable energy industry by 2030. Alicja Chilińska-Zawadzka points to the development of offshore wind energy.
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— Huge investments are already underway in the Baltic Sea, requiring thousands of people to operate them at various stages of the value chain. Also in onshore wind energy, despite the slow pace of project development and administrative barriers, the demand for technicians is still high – we hear. For people working with on-shore windmills, offshore farms may turn out to be the next, more advanced stage of their career. – The best of those working on land will be able to go to sea – adds Alicja Chilińska-Zawadzka.
However, the energy transformation needs not only technical workers, but also representatives of many other professions – from officials, through lawyers to communication specialists.
— The range of opportunities to work with renewable energy is very wide. In this program, we train miners who, thanks to their technical competences, can relatively quickly prepare to work as wind turbine technicians. But renewable energy is not only about servicing and working on the turbine itself. It is a whole ecosystem of professions: from engineers and environmental specialists, through lawyers, financiers and administrative experts, to people responsible for dialogue with residents, communication, health and safety, logistics and project management. The energy transformation therefore creates development opportunities for people with very different competences. This is a modern industry in which, in addition to technical experience, organizational, social and managerial skills are increasingly important. It is also worth emphasizing that women play an increasingly important role – as experts, project leaders, engineers and specialists responsible for cooperation with local communities – adds the head of EDF power solutions Polska.
