Young electricians enter a career path in the green economy

A skills programme to open new career prospects for young unemployed electricians into the green skills economy, whilst assisting government to reach its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was completed this month. A cohort of fifty electricians and two colleges that graduate electricians took part in a skills development programme which was aligned with the Regulation for the Mandatory Display and Submission of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) which was Gazetted for implementation by 7 December 2022.

One of the most recent regulations towards a sustainable future passed by the Department of Minerals Resources and Energy (DMRE) for implementation by 7 December 2022 affects building owners in the categories of offices, entertainment and public assembly, places of instruction, and theatrical and indoor sports facilities. The sizes of buildings in the categories that must comply include privately-owned buildings of 2,000m2 net floor area or larger, and for buildings operated, owned, or occupied by an organ of state of 1,000m2 net floor area or larger.

South Africa’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are as much about development and transformation as they are about the restoration of the dignity of people around the world, more so in South Africa with its history of deprivation and exclusion of the majority of its people.” – in the Minister Mthembu, 2019 SDG Report

Keeping in pace with the words of Minister Mtembu in the 2019 SDG Report, this skills programme opened an entry-level opportunity in the energy auditing and energy management industry for young unemployed electricians, who have basic requirements to start their journey towards contributing to the green economy in South Africa.

The fifty students, together with eleven lecturers from colleges in Gauteng and Ekurhuleni, as well as in partnership with the College of Cape Town Pinelands Campus, and Ekurhuleni East TVET College in Springs, took part in the training and practical sessions, and continued to put their knowledge into practice by collecting and measuring data from over 45 buildings to complete their work experience.

College of Cape Town students celebrating writing their final Energy Performance Certificate exam earlier this month.

The programme was developed by the Institute of Energy Professionals Africa (IEPA) and the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). The programme was co-funded by SANEDI and GIZ Skills Development for a Green Economy ll (SD4GE II) programme, a German Technical Cooperation Programme implemented on behalf of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).

Working to shape a future worth living around the world is the aim of the Deutsche Gesellschaft Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeig GmbH (GIZ), an organisation that implements world-wide programmes on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).