Green transformation of the cement industry: Skills that will make it happen

Cement, one of the world’s most polluting industries, is changing course to align with EU net-zero goals. A well-trained workforce is crucial to making this transition successful.

The cement industry currently has a rather bad reputation: it accounts for about 8 % of total greenhouse-gas emissions, making it one of the most-energy intensive and polluting industries in the world. What’s more, it is easily overlooked as a potential career path: it just doesn’t sound thatattractive compared to other options.

On the other hand, cement is an extremely important construction material, serving as the foundation for most modern infrastructure: you cannot have buildings, bridges, or even roads without this binding agent, and the rising urbanization rate means that demand for it will only increase from now on. For example, it has been estimated that roughly 21 million new houses will be needed each year to account for the upsurge in the global urban population. 

Cement, therefore, is fast becoming a key component of resilient economies, which also translates into a plethora of employment opportunities.

Cementing the industry’s goals

Realising the sector’s huge potential, the EU has committed to making it greener, and more sustainable, competitive and attractive to prospective workers.

As with all heavy industries, transition to net zero is the number one priority for the cement sector. To ensure success, new technologies and materials are being introduced across the entire value chain. AI and other digital tools and services can help cut operational costs, improve the performance of cement plants and ensure procedure safety. In addition, digitalisation can expedite research on more sustainable materials (or combinations of them) that will slowly phase out the more polluting culprits.

These changes will introduce new employment requirements in the industry and a whole new set of skill sets to address them. They may also help increase the sector’s attractiveness factor: the new competencies needed will most likely bring in younger skilled workers who will help reshape the sector’s profile.

Building a concrete workforce 

Transforming the cement industry will require a variety of professional skills:

• Digital and technological skills: operation and maintenance of AI- and automation-based systems; data literacy (analyse and interpret data from various sources); maintaining and managing complex equipment in cement plants; monitoring equipment performance.
• Safety and security: a solid understanding of safety regulations; risk assessment; deep knowledge of predictive maintenance strategies and safety processes on site; ability to respond quickly to emergencies such as equipment failure and other unpredictable situations.
• Materials chemistry knowledge: understanding the properties and composition of cement; ability to design and produce materials with certain attributes.
• Environmental skills: proficiency in carbon capture, transport and handling; good grasp of circular economy principles such as waste reduction, reuse and recycling; ability to track key sustainability metrics such as carbon emissions and water consumption.
• Soft skills: problem-solving; thinking fast on your feet; good communication; ability to work as part of a team.

The introduction of these skills heralds a new era in the cement industry, also backed by EU initiatives such as the Pact for Skills and the Union of Skills. These schemes are committed to providing the training opportunities needed to close existing skills gaps and rejuvenate important sectors by supplying them with the right talent.

Read more about another steadily emerging sector and why you should consider a career in it:

There’s no better time to pursue a career in the construction sector.

Related links

Cement skills 2030 to 2050 (report)

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