POWERCON Group has appointed Suresh Darade as the Chief Skills Officer of its Centre of Renewable Energy (CORE), reinforcing its commitment to developing a skilled workforce for India’s rapidly expanding renewable energy and clean technology sectors.
In his new role, Darade will lead CORE’s next phase of growth by strengthening collaborations with industry, academic institutions, government bodies, Sector Skill Councils and training organisations. The initiative is aimed at bridging the widening skill gap in the renewable energy industry as India accelerates its clean energy transition.
Suresh Darade brings extensive experience in technical education, workforce capability development and vocational training, having held leadership positions at organisations including Bosch India, Schaeffler, Tata Motors, ITM Vocational University, Symbiosis Skills & Professional University, and BSA Group. Over the course of his career, he has led large-scale programmes focused on technical competency enhancement, workforce transformation and organisational capability building across multiple industries.
Announcing the appointment, Col (Dr) Bharat Sharma, Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer at POWERCON Group, said the renewable energy industry’s rapid growth demands a strong pipeline of skilled professionals capable of supporting emerging technologies and large-scale infrastructure deployment.
He noted that Darade’s expertise in workforce development and skills transformation will strengthen CORE’s ability to align training programmes with evolving industry requirements and help create a future-ready talent pool for the clean energy sector.
Speaking on his appointment, Darade said he was honoured to join an institution established by experienced renewable energy professionals with a vision of building industry-ready talent.
“As the global energy transition gathers pace, developing a highly skilled workforce is one of the defining priorities of our time. Together with our industry, academic and government partners, we will strengthen competency-based, industry-driven learning programmes aligned with national and international skills frameworks. Our objective is to equip learners with the knowledge, practical skills and global competencies needed to become both job-ready and future-ready,” he said.
POWERCON Group Founder and CEO Praveen Kakulte emphasised that while the renewable energy transition is often measured in gigawatts, investments and technological advancements, its long-term success ultimately depends on the availability of skilled professionals capable of designing, building, operating and maintaining clean energy assets.
He said this vision was the driving force behind the establishment of the Centre of Renewable Energy (CORE), which the company aims to develop into a Global University for Renewable Energy and Cleantech.
CORE has already trained more than 6,000 students and renewable energy professionals, many of whom are now employed by leading organisations such as NTPC Limited, Tata Power, ReNew, SJVN, Apraava Energy, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Sunsure Energy. Under the leadership of Powercon Suresh Darade, the institution aims to further expand industry-focused training programmes and strengthen partnerships to meet the evolving skill requirements of the renewable energy sector.
As India accelerates investments in renewable energy, battery energy storage systems (BESS), green hydrogen and grid modernisation, the demand for a highly skilled workforce continues to grow. Powercon Suresh Darade’s appointment as Chief Skills Officer is expected to strengthen CORE’s role in developing industry-ready professionals through competency-based training and closer collaboration with industry and academia. The initiative is aimed at supporting India’s clean energy transition while positioning the country as a global hub for skilled renewable energy talent.
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