As the world moves faster toward clean energy, hydrogen is becoming a key part of future low-carbon economies. It can power fuel-cell vehicles, store energy for long periods, and help reduce emissions in industries that are hard to decarbonize. But building a hydrogen economy takes more than just good policies and big infrastructure projects it also requires a skilled workforce. As we focus on sustainability today, it is important to highlight one of the most important drivers of the energy transition: training experts in hydrogen technologies and value chain.
Hydrogen touches many technical areas like chemistry, thermal systems, materials, safety, and more. As such, training hydrogen engineers is not just about teaching a few new skills. It means creating programs that mix theory and hands-on learning, cover different disciplines and prepare people to meet both the needs of industry and the goals of sustainability.
As green hydrogen gains ground in Morocco and globally, there is growing interest in how to train the experts who will design, build, and manage this new energy system. One idea often raised is to create dedicated Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in hydrogen engineering.
At first glance, this seems like a great plan. A full degree would allow students to dive deep into hydrogen production, fuel cells, storage systems, safety, and hydrogen-related policies. They would learn how hydrogen fits with renewable energy, industry, and transportation.
Creating a new degree program is a big commitment it takes years to develop the curriculum, train faculty, get approvals, and attract students. Hydrogen is also a fast-moving field. New technologies and business models are emerging every year. There is a real risk that an academic program may struggle to keep up with real-world developments, or may only attract a small group of students, limiting its impact.
Instead of launching full degrees right away, a smarter first step may be to create specialized tracks or minors within existing engineering and energy programs. What does this mean in practice? Many universities already offer degrees in mechanical, electrical, chemical, or energy engineering. Within these existing programs, students could be given the option to choose a “hydrogen track” or minor a focused set of courses and projects that explore hydrogen technologies and value chain in more depth.
Let’s say Fatima is an energy engineering student in her second year of the engineering cycle (i.e., 4th year post-bac). Her school offers a Hydrogen track (also called a “parcours hydrogène”). Instead of switching her entire degree, she keeps following her core courses in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, energy systems, and electrical engineering just like all other energy engineers. But, by choosing the hydrogen track, she adds a set of optional courses and projects focused on hydrogen.
Such optional courses should cover a wide range of topics including, but not limited to: electrolyzer technologies, fuel cell design and operation, hydrogen production from renewables, hydrogen storage and transport (compressed, liquefied, pipelines, etc.), hydrogen safety and risk management, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis, Power-to-X pathways (e.g., hydrogen-to-ammonia, hydrogen-to-methanol), integration with renewable energy systems, and hydrogen policy, economics, and market development.
However, students would not take all of these courses. Instead, they would select a specialization area based on their interests and career goals. For example, Fatima chooses to focus on hydrogen storage and safety. She completes targeted courses and a final-year project in this area. As a result, Fatima graduates with a degree in Energy Engineering, specialized in hydrogen storage and safety, and is well-prepared to apply for jobs in companies working in that specific segment of the hydrogen value chain.
As countries increasingly turn their attention to developing training programs in hydrogen technologies, an important but sometimes underexplored question arises: Who is responsible for shaping these programs? In many instances, the individuals leading the development of hydrogen-related curricula come from broader scientific or engineering backgrounds such as materials science, chemistry, mechanical engineering, or fuel cell degradation rather than being deeply embedded in the hydrogen field itself. Their involvement often stems from academic seniority, institutional influence, or collaborations with hydrogen specialists, even if their direct experience with hydrogen technologies may be limited.
This dynamic can lead to several unintended consequences. Curricula may become overly theoretical, lacking important practical components. Emerging topics might be underrepresented, and students may graduate without key competencies that are increasingly in demand in the hydrogen sector. There is a clear need to align educational content more closely with the practical realities of hydrogen deployment and innovation.
In some academic settings, leadership positions have not always followed the traditional academic progression, which can further complicate efforts to build capacity in emerging fields like hydrogen. In such contexts, decision-making may be shaped by institutional dynamics that do not always prioritize technical expertise or a deep understanding of the subject at hand.
To effectively train hydrogen engineering experts, academic programs must move beyond classroom theory and adopt a hands-on, research-based approach that mirrors the real-world challenges of the hydrogen transition. This involves establishing well-equipped hydrogen laboratories and experimental platforms where students can work directly with electrolyzers, fuel cells, storage tanks, and simulation tools to analyze hydrogen systems under realistic conditions. Applied research projects especially those conducted in partnership with international universities and industry leaders can keep students and faculty aligned with the latest developments in technology and market trends. Additionally, organizing hackathons and innovation challenges around real-world hydrogen research questions can stimulate creativity and feed into active R&D pipelines.
However, it is critical to recognize that context matters. A one-size-fits-all model often shaped by institutions in the Global North is not adequate for the Global South. For example, if a country in the southern hemisphere, such as Morocco, is building its hydrogen education and innovation ecosystem, it should prioritize collaboration with local universities, public institutions, and domestic industry actors to ensure that training supports its own hydrogen roadmap.
For instance, some countries in the Global South have a unique potential for green hydrogen production due to their abundant solar and wind resources. In contrast, many countries in the Global North rely more heavily on nuclear energy or fossil fuels with carbon capture to produce hydrogen, largely due to their existing energy infrastructure and limited renewable land availability. These fundamental differences should influence not only how hydrogen is produced, but also how education and training programs are designed.
In the mobility sector, regions in the Global South often face long travel distances between urban centers and rural areas, limited public transport infrastructure, and underdeveloped electric vehicle (EV) charging networks. These conditions make hydrogen-powered solutions such as freight trucks, long-range buses, or utility vehicles for off-road terrain particularly promising, since hydrogen vehicles can refuel quickly and operate over long distances without the need for dense charging infrastructure. However, when hydrogen mobility solutions are transferred from one region to another without adapting them to local conditions, challenges can arise. Many existing hydrogen vehicles cars, buses, or trucks have been developed with specific assumptions in mind, such as operation in temperate climates, access to well-maintained roads, and dense fuel distribution networks. When these same models are applied in different settings such as regions with high temperatures, long distances between cities, or limited technical support they may not perform optimally or may require adaptations that have not been fully considered in the original designs. This highlights the importance of context-sensitive innovation. For hydrogen mobility to succeed in any region, especially where road conditions vary, or long-haul logistics are a priority, vehicle design and deployment strategies must be informed by local geography, climate, transport needs, and infrastructure realities.
In industry, many countries in the South are still in the process of developing the infrastructure that could benefit from hydrogen as an energy source. Training programs in these regions should focus on how green hydrogen can be gradually integrated into key sectors. For example, ammonia-based fertilizer production could be an ideal starting point, as hydrogen is a key feedstock in this process, and using green hydrogen could significantly reduce carbon emissions in agriculture. Additionally, decarbonizing heating and cooling processes in both industrial and agricultural sectors is another opportunity. For instance, hydrogen could replace fossil fuels in industrial heating systems, such as those used in molding electric vehicle wheels or in high-temperature processes. In agriculture, hydrogen could be used to power cooling systems for crop preservation, especially in regions where traditional refrigeration relies heavily on fossil fuels.
These areas represent significant opportunities for hydrogen integration, and the training programs should ensure that professionals are equipped with the knowledge to implement these solutions effectively, aligning both industrial needs and sustainability goals.
