Droogfontein Solar Power has put their support behind the Solar Water Heating Enterprise Development (SWHED) Programme in Kimberley. The programme includes the repair and replacement of defective solar heating systems and provides the ideal platform for technical training at different skills levels and the opportunity for work-based experience in all aspects of the SWH instillation; from identifying instillations and system defects to repairs and replacement installations.
“20 unemployed young people were recruited from within the Kimberley municipal area, and given the opportunity to attend a Bridging Programing preparation for the technical skills training, this was then follow-up by an Enterprise Development training,” said Marion Green-Thompson, Economic Development Manager for Droogfontein Solar Power. She continued, adding, “We were very pleased that all 20 trainees stayed have remained in the programme, and achieved an average attendance was above 97% for the 10 week training period”.
The SWHED programme provides access to hot water for low income households, creates jobs in the Solar Water Heating industry; stimulates the development of SMME’s and increases access to the labour market for young men and women.
The remaining two phases of the programme, namely the incubation and SMME development programme and the Mentoring and Support Programme still needs to kick in. during the 3-month Incubation and SMME Development phase, trainees will be introduced and guided towards applying learned skills and knowledge in a real work environment, but under a controlled environment provided both an assigned mentor (qualified artisan) as well as a Business Incubator that provides both entrepreneurial skills training and mentorship support.
Participating teams in the Incubator, which successfully completed the 3-month Incubation period and showed signs of being able to function in a sustainable manner will be given the opportunity to register a formal new SMME through the submission of a Business Plan under mentorship. “The expected outcome of this phase is the successful registration and implementation of new SMME’s that enters the industry and create additional employment opportunities” concluded Thompson.
