{"id":97764,"date":"2025-05-13T10:12:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T10:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/97764\/"},"modified":"2025-05-13T10:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T10:12:09","slug":"junior-solar-technicians-seek-employment-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/97764\/","title":{"rendered":"Junior solar technicians seek employment opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The Solar Youth Project aims to address SA\u2019s youth unemployment crisis and fill the need for skilled solar technicians. <\/p>\n

The second cohort of the Solar Youth Project<\/a> has completed intensive eight-week training and is ready to take on the next stage, which is 10 months of work experience.<\/p>\n

This is according to the Green Solar Academy, outlining the progress it is making in providing solar technical skills to South African youth.<\/p>\n

It notes the first group of trainees has returned for their final round of assessments, bringing their year-long solar training journey full circle.<\/p>\n

The organisation points out that now the pressure is on to find host companies in the solar industry that are willing to take on these ambitious young interns, and ideally, provide long-term employment.<\/p>\n

Developed in partnership between Life Choices and Green Solar Academy, the Solar Youth Project is a programme designed to close the gap between South Africa\u2019s youth unemployment crisis and the country\u2019s need for skilled solar technicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe need for trained talent in the solar sector is enormous \u2013 and we\u2019re providing it,\u201d says Amanda Dzivhani, COO of Green Solar Academy. \u201cBut unless these young people are absorbed into the workforce, we\u2019re only winning half the battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Solar Youth Project is not a government programme but a privately-driven initiative founded on over 20 years of experience in technical education and youth development, says the company.<\/p>\n

Green Solar Academy notes the training model is simple but effective \u2013 eight weeks of blended technical and soft skills training, followed by a 10-month structured internship with a solar company. The programme culminates in a final round of training and assessment to consolidate the learning and prepare the interns for permanent employment, it adds.<\/p>\n

Participants, aged 22 to 28, all hold N4\u2013N6 electrical engineering qualifications from TVET colleges and have undergone training aligned with the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers, the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association and DGS (Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Sonnenenergie) standards.<\/p>\n

The technical content is built on the Green Solar Academy\u2019s internationally-accredited curriculum.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese young people have the qualifications, the hands-on training and the drive,\u201d says Vuyo Ntlangu, impact pathways manager at Life Choices<\/a>, a youth development organisation based in Cape Town. \u201cWhat they need now is the opportunity to show what they\u2019re capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not just creating interns \u2013 we\u2019re producing well-rounded, work-ready junior solar technicians,\u201d says Ryan Geel, campus director at Life Choices. \u201cAnd we\u2019re looking for forward-thinking companies to help us turn that training into careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a country where youth development is often more slogan than solution, the academy says the Solar Youth Project stands out as a rare example of action over promises.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s talking about youth training \u2013 we\u2019re doing it,\u201d says Antje Klauss-Vorreiter, CEO of Green Solar Academy. \u201cAnd it\u2019s happening in Cape Town, at Life Choices Academy in Lansdowne, where professionals and youth train under the same roof, with the same high standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life Choices Academy in Cape Town is also the implementing partner of Green Solar Academy\u2019s professional training, one of 13 green academies across Africa. The organisation points out that the co-location means the same trainers who teach professional installers also lead the technical training for the youth, ensuring quality, relevance and consistency.<\/p>\n

It notes this academy is also open to professionals looking to upskill through short, accredited courses in PV system design, installation and compliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Solar Youth Project aims to address SA\u2019s youth unemployment crisis and fill the need for skilled solar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3092],"tags":[45531,51,12789,45525,45532,897,45528,45530,5374,45529,45526,45527,16,5664,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-97764","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-amanda-dzivhani","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-electrical-engineering","11":"tag-green-solar-academy","12":"tag-internship","13":"tag-jobs","14":"tag-life-choices","15":"tag-ryan-geel","16":"tag-solar-energy","17":"tag-solar-skills","18":"tag-solar-youth-project","19":"tag-south-african-institute-of-electrical-engineers","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-unemployment","22":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114499993280188649","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}