• The Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) has launched a hydrogen system practitioners course as part of its push for more skills related to Just Energy Transition (JET).
• The course is said to be the first of its kind for the African continent.
• Having hydrogen system practitioners in SA can help to develop new energy industries in the country, according to EWSETA.

As the energy crisis rages on in South Africa, skills development in renewable and new energy sectors is viewed as a critical focus in the country. We have already seen a push to get more South Africans trained when it comes to the installation of photovoltaic systems, but now hydrogen system practitioners are coming to the fore.

This as the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) recently launched a course designed specifically to train the first generation of hydrogen system practitioners in SA, which also happens to the first course of its kind on the African continent, according to the organisation.

“One of the new training programmes just launched by EWSETA is an innovative Skills Programme for hydrogen system practitioners – the first in Africa – and potentially a game-changer in the renewables energy sector,” it explained in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“As a government organisation, EWSETA is at the centre of efforts to drive the skills change. In line with our legislated mandate, our aim is to promote skills development in the energy and water sectors through among others, partnerships with businesses, educational institutions, and key stakeholders with a passion for capacitating our workforce through a strengthened Post School Education and Training system,” added Mpho Mookapele (pictured in header image), CEO of EWSETA.

The organisation adds that initiatives like this will fall under the larger Just Energy Transition (JET) plan from government, particular when it comes to creating a low-carbon economy. To that end, an investment over the next five years has been outlined, with some of the potential benefits if executed correctly being:

• “Creating quality jobs in new sectors like electric vehicles, green hydrogen, renewable energy, and manufacturing
• Increasing energy security and ending load shedding through a massive rollout of new, sustainable energy sources
• Addressing the risks of climate change and positioning South Africa to be an essential global player in the green economy of the future, and,
• Boosting economic growth through more than R1 trillion of new investment in the South African economy.”

While much of the above is yet to come to fruition, EWSETA says it’s working to make it a reality, with the newly announced course forming part of this.

“As an authority, EWSETA must ascertain the requisite skills needed as the world shifts toward renewable energy sources, and then provide strategies for upskilling and reskilling workers to meet these new demands,” concluded Mookapele.

[Image – Provided]