Fifteen students have graduated from the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre's (SARETEC's) Wind Turbine Service Technician programme.
The graduation ceremony was held last week in partnership with the Nordex Group SA and coincided with Global Wind Day on 15 June.
The programme is SA's first formal qualification in the wind sector and offers intake to students with a minimum of an NQF Level 4 qualification. The students received seven months of practical training and theory that included two months of in-service training on a wind farm.
In February, ITWeb reported the future of the SARETEC at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology is under threat if construction on the next round of state-commissioned wind farms does not begin within the forthcoming year.
This week, an inter-governmental task team on SA's renewable energy programme proposed further delays to the signing of R58 billion power purchase agreements with independent power producers to the end of August or February 2018.
Speaking at the graduation event, Naim Rassool, director of SARETEC, said: "We were honoured to partner with the Nordex Group to train SARETEC's second group of wind turbine service technicians. The substantial investment made by Nordex Group South Africa in training these students shows their commitment to skills development in South Africa. It also highlights the manner in which public-private partnerships can be leveraged to empower our local youth with globally relevant skills."
Wind turbine service technicians are responsible for the service, maintenance and repair of wind turbines. They inspect, diagnose, maintain and adjust wind turbines, managing electrical and mechanical wind turbine operations.
"We are delighted to see the hard work of these students pay off. To witness the skills development on the job at one of our five wind farm projects and now through SARETEC is pleasing and shows just what is possible in an industry that is focused on sustainable job creation," says Anne Henschel, MD of the Nordex Group SA.
In support of its commitment to mentorship and local skills transfer, the Nordex Group has employed five of the learners full-time and another four achieved extended contracts from the practical training by the group.
"Since January 2015, SARETEC has rapidly established its reputation as a world-class renewable energy training facility. Having been set up to meet the needs of SA's fledgling renewable power industry, SARETEC is now graduating renewable energy technicians able to work anywhere in the world," says Brenda Martin, CEO of the South African Renewable Energy Council.
Student, Mvuzo Nkonyeni, spoke of what it meant to him, saying: "Achieving this qualification is a dream come true for me and sets me on my path to make a difference in the wind energy industry. It was truly rewarding to celebrate all my hard work on Global Wind Day."
Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on 15 June. It is a day for discovering wind, its power and the possibilities it holds to reshape energy systems, decarbonise economies and boost jobs and growth.
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