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.”
Decarbonising the energies and chemical industry without the risk Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric argues that decarbonisation in Africa’s energies and chemical industry need not compromise production or profitability. A phased, digitally enabled approach, starting with energy efficiency improvements, can reduce emissions while strengthening competitiveness.
Read more...From the editor's desk: Consistently not stupid Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
Over the years I’ve followed Charlie Munger. He’s considered to be one of the greatest investors and thinkers on decision making in the past century, and spent six decades as Warren Buffett’s business ...
Read more...South Africa’s space balls
Editor's Choice News
South African engineers are preparing to take low-frequency radio astronomy to the Moon with three locally developed B.A.L.L.S. spheres aboard China’s Chang’e-8 mission. This could pave the way for a 55-antenna lunar array and marks another step in the country’s growing space engineering capability.
Read more...RS South Africa announces 2026 Student Project Fund winners RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa has awarded 13 engineering students with R10?000 worth of products each through its 2026 Student Project Fund, supporting projects spanning renewable energy, robotics, warehouse automation and STEM education.
Read more...Certified gas meter module
News
Sensirion’s next-generation SGM5304 gas meter module has completed certification to the harmonised EN 17526 standard, simplifying MID approval and speeding customers’ route to market.
Read more...The rise of software-defined brownfield automation Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert is enabling brownfield operators to modernise incrementally, decoupling control logic from hardware to bridge legacy equipment and future-ready operations without disrupting production.
Read more...Trafo Power Solutions expands market share
News
Trafo Power Solutions is expanding its market share in mining, industrial, infrastructure, data centre and renewable energy applications through technical expertise, application-specific engineering and responsive customer support.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version