PHUTI MOSOMANE
THE Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has announced a partnership with MerSETA to establish a training and skills development programme for young people in the energy sector.
This initiative aims to address the country’s energy crisis and youth unemployment.
The programme was first mentioned during this year’s State of the Province Address (SOPA), where Lesufi expressed his intention to train and equip young people with skills in the energy sector.
The programme was further discussed at the province’s inaugural Energy Expo, which explored ways to transform the energy crisis into a new economy for the province while creating employment opportunities for the youth.
“The training will provide learners with credit-bearing programmes on solar photovoltaic microgrids & will cover areas such as installation, maintenance, and repair of different aspects related to solar energy concentrating on hybrid SPV systems,” said Lesufi.
In addition to providing technical skills, the training programme will also offer business and entrepreneurial skills to help learners start new businesses in the growing energy sector.
The project is set to be implemented over a three-year period, with a total intake of 6,000 learners.
“These will not be trained all at once but will be taken as different cohorts,” he added.
The project will provide both theoretical and practical in-service training.
The theoretical part will be between 8-12 weeks to develop technical skills.
It will be complemented by a 6-8 months’ work experiential learning, where candidates will be given practical work experience.
The training is for South African youth (under the age of 35 years) who must have matriculated in a Gauteng school after 2016. Requirements for entry is an N3+ electrical qualification from a TVET college and/or technical matric is an added advantage.
He said interested applicants must also have an interest in a career in energy efficiency, electrical work, and the green economy sector.
The learners will be given a stipend of R4000 for the duration of the training, with application process opening on Monday, 8 May and will close on 8 June 2023.
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