BL Premium reports that a training academy that will supply SA’s fast growing solar energy industry with skilled workers will open its doors to the public next year.

The centre is the result of a partnership formed earlier this year between South32, an Australian mining and metals company with a secondary listing on the JSE and assets in SA, and local renewables business Solana Energy. The training academy is based in Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal where South32’s Hillside Aluminium smelter is located. As the solar power market in SA expands, which it is expected to do at a rapid pace over the next few years, the demand for skilled workers for this sector is increasing. The training academy had its formal launch on Thursday. It will offer both practical and theoretical training focusing on areas such as solar installation, the maintenance of solar systems, solar system design and energy auditing. Solana Energy’s Ahmed Motara said the solar market in SA was expected to grow by 29% for the next five years. Each megawatt of new installed solar energy will create about 40 jobs along the solar value chain. “Based on this, the solar PV industry is expected to create between 38,000 and 40,000 energy jobs per year between 2023 and 2030. By 2030 the market will also be supporting about 11,000 operations and maintenance jobs per year,” he indicated.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Denene Erasmus at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

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