Anant National University Provost: India’s 35 million green job boom needs design-thinking workforce

By Sanjeev Vidyarthi

However slowly, the world is transitioning towards a greener economy that places a premium upon more sustainable ways of doing business. India, with its young population, a growing economy and business-supporting governments, is possibly positioned to play a prominent role in this paradigmatic shift.

But does the country have a workforce trained to help with this transition?

The green job boom

By 2028, there will be 7.29 million green job openings in India, with an estimated rise to 35 million by 2047, per media reports. Additionally, India’s green economy is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030 and then skyrocket to $15 trillion by 2070, considerably increasing the demand for green jobs.

However, only 1,20,000 people globally and 5,000 in India are either professionally qualified or formally trained to cater to this demand. Although the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), a Government of India initiative, has started work on tailored training programmes for imparting relevant skills through affiliated educational and training institutions across the country, that is just the first step in what is apparently a long journey.

It is important to note that, within a short span of time, green jobs in India have transitioned from being a niche segment to a mainstream role across many fast-growing sectors, such as renewable energy, EVs and sustainable infrastructure, supporting a 38% year-over-year growth in sustainability and climate-related jobs.

Many of these jobs are in design-driven fields like green infrastructure and packaging that demand a skillset combining nuances of sustainability as well as technological and digital fluency. The increasing integration of cool and clever technologies like AI, robotics and IoT will demand an even better-equipped, future-ready workforce.

Design Thinking Central to Problem Solving

Excelling at green jobs is just not about having the right technical knowledge. It requires a strong interdisciplinary understanding to comprehend the different dimensions of a problem and the ability to visualise their interconnectedness. This is where design thinking becomes central in the modern workplace.

Often misunderstood as an arcane set of abstract ideas, design thinking is conceptually closer to what today’s generation recognises as the ‘mindset.’ It is a human-centred, iterative and adaptive way of visualising and solving problems by thoroughly understanding the cause and then mindfully conceiving a clever solution.

Centering design thinking in education also allows the future workforce to ask the right questions and design feasible solutions to the multiple challenges facing the world. It empowers designers to examine problems at hand holistically and craft cool solutions that are not just innovative but socially and environmentally responsible.

Also read Green Jobs: 10 million skill trainings, placements by 2047, says Skill Council for Green Jobs CEO

Green Jobs: Universities driving change

Universities can and do support innovative changemakers who shape and lead the future. However, Indian universities must adapt quickly to prepare a climate-ready workforce. Including merely a module on sustainability will not suffice. Universities require comprehensive courses focused on sustainability and climate change.

Real-world studio projects, integration of green principles within the core curriculum and promoting interdisciplinary courses that combine climate, design, policy and tech-education are just a few priorities universities can and should pursue with immediate effect. Industry-academia collaboration will play an equally important role in equipping the students with the right skills and bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical know-how.

Anant National University leading the way

Anant National University is a diverse and dynamic institution where students are trained through practical, hands-on, experiential learning to lead meaningful change in our rapidly evolving world. At Anant, we see the green transition as an opportunity to contribute to nation-building, a mission Anant is fundamentally committed to advancing.

For example, our BTech programme in Climate Change, the first of its kind in India, equips students with the skills, knowledge and expertise to create technology-driven solutions to address the issues of the changing climate both at local and global levels. The comprehensive curriculum combines engineering tools with design thinking principles to enable practical application-oriented learning and collaborations with industries and government research laboratories, preparing students to be part of the $23 trillion global climate economy.

Here, students gain immersive industry exposure through internships with leading organisations. Many intern at leading companies like Tech Mahindra, Johnson Controls-Hitachi, the Commonwealth Secretariat and Sustain Labs Paris. These experiences prepare them not just to work in existing industries but to shape the industries of tomorrow.

Also read Must measure learning by skills shown, not by ‘how long someone sits in a classroom’: ASDC chief

The green economy offers ample opportunities for innovation, and thus, Anant encourages an entrepreneurial mindset among students. Designers and architects can (and should) be job creators and not job seekers. Institutionalised support and one-on-one mentorship will empower our students to develop new ventures, helping the country’s industries and communities alike.

To achieve the $15 trillion green economy target, India not only needs to invest in technology and policy but also to train and empower its workforce well. We need a workforce that can seamlessly work across disciplines, and interdisciplinary education, fostering a creative design approach, just like Anant, is the need of the hour.

Dr Sanjeev Vidyarthi is an architect, urban designer, and spatial planner. He is the provost at Anant National University. This piece first appeared in the 200th issue of the Careers360 magazine, published in August 2025.