Schneider Electric South Africa has teamed up with the French Ministry of Education and the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) to launch a centre aimed at developing programmes to train technicians in the fields of energy, electricity and maintenance of automated systems. Named the French-South African Schneider Electric Education Centre, the new facility is in line with the Department of Higher Education and Training’s vision of accelerating artisan training across the country and will focus on preparing young South Africans from disadvantaged backgrounds for the job market. The first intake of students will be enrolled in April 2012.
According to Professor Deon de Beer, the purpose of the training centre is to provide programmes from basic through to advanced certifications. It is his vision that the centre will act as a hub from which to support and service the community, educational institutions and industry. “The centre is furnished to provide a state-of-the-art facility equipped with Schneider Electric educational systems,” he explains. “It has been designed not only to assist the underprivileged to become a viable part of the local workplace, but also to allow professionals already in the market to develop their skills further.”
The French Ministry of Education, in collaboration with VUT, has provided infrastructure and will manage the process and supply technical experts to spearhead curriculum development, while Schneider Electric South Africa has kitted the centre with the power supply, home automation, automation and renewable energy equipment needed for training and research. “Schneider Electric has also agreed to place qualified students into a working environment so that they can be mentored by a qualified artisan for a period of six months,” explains Carl Kleynhans, Schneider Electric South Africa country president. “This is to ensure that they display the necessary competence to operate successfully within this sector.”
Furthermore, the Schneider Electric Foundation, an organisation under the aegis of the Fondation de France, has committed additional resources toward the project. For the coming years, it will continue funding the project through scholarships and support to self-entrepreneurship. “Schneider Electric South Africa is proud to be associated with an initiative of this calibre,” adds Kleynhans. “We believe that the centre will be instrumental in increasing our local skills pool, empowering graduates to start their own businesses and creating broader employment opportunities.”
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