Engineers from India’s leading university receive post graduate courses from the Danish energy sector

300.000.

That is the amount of new technical students that enrol each year in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.

One of the universities in the region is the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in the state capital Chennai. From here, more than 3200 students have already graduated in 2025 – the largest number in recent years.

According to India’s Ministry of Education, IIT Madras is ranked as the best of its kind in India when it comes to training of engineers. Now, the Danish companies Energy and Climate Academy and Aprendio have signed an agreement with IIT Madras to offer courses for graduates who want to upgrade their skills in green energy.

Torben Kirkegaard, Director at Energy and Climate Academy, explains:

“IIT Madras is a prestigious elite university in India – a well-known brand in India, comparable to the Ivy League universities in the US. That is why we are proud of the partnership agreement and the network it provides with newly hired graduates in Indian companies,” says Torben Kirkegaard.

According to Dr. Nikhil Tambe, CEO of The Energy Consortium at IIT Madras – which brings together companies, academia, and government authorities on energy-related technology and innovation – the Danish Indian cooperation is meant to connect the best experts in clean energy.

“One of the consortium’s goals has been to create a future-ready workforce – one that not only contributes to accelerating the massive energy transition currently underway but is also equipped to operate in a world dominated by renewable energy and potentially with minimal or no reliance on fossil fuels. That is why our interest and focus are directed at giving students and professionals the skills to upgrade and even reskill themselves in new and emerging technologies, methods, and practices,” says Tambe.

“Not infinite, but close”
The courses will initially be offered online, with lecturers mainly representing Danish energy companies. Participants will receive internationally recognized CPD certification (Continuing Professional Development), widely used in postgraduate training for graduates from universities in English-speaking countries.

The instructors represent Danish companies, technical universities, or government bodies such as the Danish Energy Agency, and are booked as needed.

One of the Danish partners is Aprendio, which develops scalable digital learning and training solutions for companies.

According to Carsten Ellegaard, CCO and Co-founder of Aprendio, the potential for competence and technology development in India’s green transition is enormous.

“It’s not infinite, but close. India is developing rapidly, with a population of nearly 1.5 billion people. The need for scaling up green energy technology solutions is tremendous – and so is the demand for engineering competencies that are critical for execution,” says Carsten Ellegaard, pointing to the wind industry as an example.

“India needs more people with skills in wind – both onshore and offshore. In South India, where we are collaborating, many newly graduated engineers are employed in the automotive industry. With the right courses, we can help many engineers transition into the energy sector. And we see that many are eager to do so – both to make a difference in India, and globally, by ensuring skilled labour for Danish and other European companies when, for example, wind turbines are being installed abroad,” says Carsten Ellegaard.

Expanding course portfolio
In addition to wind energy, recent IIT Madras graduates can currently choose courses in hydrogen technology, district energy, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).

The vision is to offer even more courses tailored to India – and eventually other countries – with a strong need for knowledge on building climate-friendly infrastructure, services, and technologies.

“We want to expand the portfolio and expect a need for the combination between online preparation with in-person teaching in India. We are already moving forward and are grateful for the collaboration established through Energy Cluster Denmark, the Danish Chamber of Commerce, and the Innovation Centre in India. We joined an innovation tour in 2024, and now we stand here with a formalized partnership with a great potential. We still need more instructors and therefore we invite Danish companies, researchers, and others with expertise in green energy to join our Indian partnership,” says Torben Kirkegaard.

Facts
The new Danish Indian partnership follows the INNOWIND project, which, with support from the Danish Energy Agency, has brought together Danish and Indian stakeholders with a focus on energy.

Part of the initiative included an innovation tour for Danish companies in 2024 to Tamil Nadu, organized by Innovation Centre Denmark Bangalore, Trade Council India, IIT Madras, and Energy Cluster Denmark.

For more information:
Carsten Ellegaard, CCO and Co-founder, Aprendio
+45 29796361 / cae@aprendio.io

Torben Kirkegaard, Chief Education Officer and Founder, Energy and Climate Academy tki@energyandclimateacademy.com  +45 3023 7636