• Training of Gauteng youth solar technicians begins today Monday 4th September 2023.
• The first cohort has begun their training, while other cohorts will be launched during the three-year run of the entire programme.
• Gauteng provincial government tells accepted candidates that they should be patient if they have not yet been contacted to go to a training institution.

Today the Gauteng Department of Education has officially begun training the candidates in the Solar Technician Programme (STP).

The programme, established in May, initially sought to take on 6 000 trainees, all under 35, through a three-year course where they will develop technical skills related to solar energy technology.

Trainees from the first cohort are set to begin training on 4th September 2023, with candidates accepted into this cohort receiving instructions to head to the relevant institution.

Different cohorts of accepted trainees will take part in the programme at different points throughout the three-year run of the course. The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) is set to be one of Gauteng’s major training partners in the endeavour.

MEC for education and youth development Matome Chiloane explains in an announcement on X that some of the partners that will be facilitating the training have started expanding their facilities to accommodate the number of candidates in this and future cohorts.

“Due to the limited number of training institutions and space in Gauteng, some partners are currently investing in upgrading and increasing their capacity to accommodate more trainees,” Chiloane explains.

He adds that accepted candidates need not worry, “If you have signed the GCRA contract, but have not received communication from a training institution. Do not stress, it just means you are not part of the first cohort.”

In total, the STP programme will cost the province R175 million with the end goal being the introduction of a swathe of young professionals to aid the provincial government in its efforts to build infrastructure that will lessen the impact of loadshedding.

During the training of each cohort, those that take part will be paid a monthly stipend of R4 000 to R7 000 depending on existing qualifications of the trainees.

The province is planning to install solar panelling and accompanying technology at 700 sites across the city of Johannesburg, including hospitals and other public facilities. Gauteng solar technicians currently in training will be earmarked to help with this initiative after graduation.

[Image – Gauteng Department of Education]