Bulawayo Projects Centre has introduced Solar Installation to its already rich list of courses. The course made its debut at Cowdray Park Centre with the first enrolment being made up of 27 male and female youths drawn mostly from Cowdray Park and the surrounding suburbs of Gwabalanda, Luveve and Magwegwe. The students are part of those enrolled under the Heimstaden Foundation Youths Skills Programme which BPC is implementing with SOS Zimbabwe while the rest are from Zimbabwe Health Interventions (ZHI) under the DREAMS Programme.
The Solar Installation course was introduced after noticing that the demand for solar energy keeps soaring in the face of power outages in the country due to inadequate supplies in the face of increasing demand for energy. Also, the use of solar energy continues to soar across the world as it is a renewable, cheap and clean source of energy with no carbon footprint on the environment and climate.
Speaking about the course, the trainer Mr Mncedisi Sibanda of Hausitoe Investments said, “This is a course in line with global changes in energy use and it aligns well with policies to cut emissions that cause climate change. We’re making efforts in our own small way to mitigate climate change and help attain energy efficiency in the country.”
Like all BPC’s courses, Solar Installation is trained by an experienced individual, Mr Sibanda, who is also running a profitable business of his own. It is expected that after graduation, the youths will be able to find employment or start their own businesses in areas such as the actual installation of solar systems to selling equipment needed for it. The students have also been trained in digital skills so that they can effectively use the skill in their trade in line with the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
The solar installation course was deliberately launched in Cowdray Park because this is the centre where BPC assembles solar cookers under the capable leadership of Mrs Lindiwe Moyo working with the master craftsman Mr. J. Maribha. We hope that in the near future BPC will introduce the course at other centres informed by developments in the labour market.