GREEN SOLAR LAUNCHES INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
GREEN Solar Academy and Peak Power Solutions , a well-established solar company based in Pretoria , announced that they now offer practical experience alongside training on the job .
Peak Power Solutions is headed by Willem van Schalkwyk , a GREEN Solar Academy ( GREEN ) alumnus who started his career in the solar industry by participating in a GREEN training course in 2014 , and who knows about the struggles new solar installers face . This collaboration is a pilot programme that will be rolled out with companies of other GREEN alumni in the future .
GREEN ’ s commitment to helping participants get started in a career in solar energy extends beyond the short , professional courses they provide and into extra services such as networking meetings and forums where new installers can learn from industry stalwarts and get direct access to wholesalers .
“ We want to ensure that all doors to a successful future in solar are opened for our students , and that new and experienced alumni can make use of all the valuable resources that we have access to ,” explains GREEN Solar Academy director , Antje Klauss- Vorreiter .
The feedback GREEN receives from the more than 3 600 people they have trained is that finding qualified staff is a bottleneck for the growth of the solar sector .
Due to this fact , the demand for solar currently exceeds the supply available . And on the flip side , newcomers struggle to get up to speed to fill the available positions , making the jump from training into employment difficult . An intermediate step is needed where the new graduates have a safe space to put into practice what they learned in their training .
To facilitate this , GREEN is leveraging the relationships nurtured over 10 years of training and is turning to alumni companies like Peak Power Solutions , who started small and have developed into established SMEs , to transfer the responsibility of training new staff over to them .
The partnership benefits both parties , in that the intern may well go on to secure permanent employment with the internship company .
Willem van Schalkwyk explains why he opened his doors to the first interns : “ Companies have to take responsibility in training as well ; the industry is at a point where the demand for skilled personnel is so great that long-term staff planning and commitment to grow one ’ s own staff becomes a requirement .”
Interns will be exposed to all facets of solar installation , from monitoring inventory for upcoming projects to the physical mounting of racking , modules , and electrical equipment of both residential and commercial systems .
In addition to securing invaluable on-the-job experience , incumbents will attend ongoing training sessions on new products , methodology and safety . At every stage , the installer company pledges to offer guidance and support with the intern ’ s personal development as a qualified PV installer .
The partnership benefits both parties , in that the intern may well go on to secure permanent employment with the internship
30 • African Mining • January 2022 www . africanmining . co . za