How do Learning Communities contribute to a sustainable and affordable energy system?

The Netherlands – like other countries – is facing a major task when it comes to energy transition. Firm goals have been set to combat climate change, and the pressure from society to achieve these goals is big. Think for example of the Urgenda lawsuit or the various protests in major cities, and even in museums or TV-programs. However, achieving these goals will not happen easily: new technologies and practices that are being developed and imple-mented can replace the “old,” fossil-based energy grid and reduce emissions. To implement these technologies and accelerate the transition, a solid labor market with knowledge and skills in renewable energy is needed. However, the Netherlands is currently facing a person-nel shortage in the technology sector.

To have innovation go hand in hand with the training of personnel, the Top Sectors have started to designate and stimulate so-called Learning Communities in 2016. These are part-nerships in which different parties – such as companies, knowledge institutions and educational institutions – innovate, learn and work together. By combining these activities, Learning Communities have the potential to contribute to a future-proof energy system and a future-proof workforce through innovation and education.

Dialogic examines these Learning Communities and provides advice on how to make even better use of their potential. We are doing this, among other things, by developing a tracking system of specific schemes, first of the MOOI scheme in 2021 (click here for the dashboard) and in 2022/2023, after expansion, also of LC projects from the KIC program of NWO and from the Growth Fund proposal GroenvermogenNL. Additionally, Dialogic conducted more general research on strengthening the learning capacity of Learning Communities, by iden-tifying bottlenecks of Learning Communities and drafting an associated Knowledge Agenda. Dialogic also analyzed the tools available from various parties for setting up and further developing Learning Communities. For these studies, Dialogic distributed several question-naires among Learning Communities and spoke to a large group of Learning Communities. As a result, through conducting analyses by Katapult, the Learning Communities themselves, Platform Talent for Technology and RVO, among others, more and more insight is emerging into the functioning and potential of Learning Communities. We continue to follow these developments, also with regard to Learning Communities in other sectors, with great inte-rest, for example in our involvement in the development of Learning Communities in the field of AI in the Province of North Brabant.