October 2022.
Thirty-nine youth across the Kenhardt and Pofadder communities have received certified training to assist with accessing the local job market. Having recognised that employment opportunities will open up with the impending construction of a new PV solar plant in this part of the Northern Cape, the upskilling programme was created to benefit youth, with a focus on women.
Initiated by Aries Solar Power and its sister project, Konkoonsies Solar Power, this programme has upskilled local youth in security management, to prepare them for jobs that will inevitably become available once the new solar project, and potentially others in the province, look to hire these skills.
20 youth from Kenhardt, and 19 from Pofadder, the majority of which are women, commenced their training in September and will graduate before the end of this year, with a certification that is industry compliant and allows the participants to register with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority.
“Most of the security guards employed in our projects are older people, so the purpose of this training is to upskill young people to access employment in the area,” explained Harrisinah Theka, Economic Development Manager for Aries Solar Power and Konkoonsies Solar Power.
Speaking to one of the programme participants, Davina Watt from Pofadder, she expressed the need for this kind of training to get a job, “The training has been received positively by us young people in this community, as we were struggling to access the job market. There is a high rate of unemployment so skills like this, will create opportunities for us.”
