Darade brings several decades of experience in technical education
POWERCON Group has appointed Suresh Darade as Chief Skills Officer (CSO) of its Centre of Renewable Energy (CORE), the group’s dedicated institution for renewable energy education, workforce development, and industry skilling.
Darade brings several decades of experience in technical education, workforce capability development, and industry skilling. In his new position, he will handle the next phase of CORE’s growth by expanding industry-relevant, technology-driven, and real-time skills development programmes, while strengthening collaborations with industry, academia, government bodies, Sector Skill Councils, and training institutions.
Before joining POWERCON, Darade held leadership positions at Bosch India, Schaeffler, Tata Motors, ITM Vocational University, and Symbiosis Skills & Professional University. Most recently, at BSA Group, he led industry-focused training programmes, developed work-based dual-skilling models, and designed competency-based learning frameworks aligned with National Skills Standards.
Commenting on the appointment, Col. (Dr.) Bharat Sharma, Executive Director, POWERCON Group, said the renewable energy sector’s rapid growth makes the development of a strong pipeline of skilled professionals critical. He added that Darade’s expertise in skills development, competency building, and workforce transformation would help accelerate CORE’s vision of bridging the gap between industry requirements and workforce capabilities.
Darade said he was honoured to join an institution established with the goal of building future-ready talent for the renewable energy sector. He noted that competency-based, industry-driven learning aligned with national and international skills frameworks would be central to CORE’s efforts to equip students, trainees, and working professionals with practical and globally relevant capabilities.
Praveen Kakulte, Founder & CEO of POWERCON Group, said the long-term success of the renewable energy transition would depend not only on infrastructure and technology but also on the quality of the people who design, build, operate, and improve these assets. He added that CORE was envisioned to evolve into a globally recognised university dedicated exclusively to renewable energy and clean technology, integrating education, applied research, innovation, industry collaboration, and leadership development.
CORE has already trained, assessed, and certified more than 6,000 students, technicians, and renewable energy professionals. Building on this foundation, the institution plans to expand partnerships with industry, academia, government, and global institutions as part of its Skills-First Framework for Renewable Energy, with the objective of creating a globally competitive workforce, supporting international talent mobility, and positioning India as a major source of skilled professionals for the rapidly growing global renewable energy industry.
