This work package addresses the needs of companies and professionals in the sector to access training. The work package will support growth of the sector through 3 Continued Professional Development (CPD) courses. The courses will be designed, drawing on expertise from partners, external training providers, industry, and universities. Each of the CPD courses will include a focus on end-user appropriateness and highlight the importance of their embeddedness in the local context. UCT will provide an academic ‘home’ and the required certification of the CPD courses. The CPD courses will be offered online which will make them accessible for candidates from Africa South Asia and the Indo Pacific region. This includes the:
- CPD course, Integrated Energy Systems, focuses on Energy Security, Whole Systems Thinking in the context of the energy sector, Sustainability, and Energy Efficiency to equip professionals with a holistic understanding of the intricate facets of modern-day energy systems.
- Future Female Leaders in Energy course, in collaboration with the Africa Management Institute. This course aims to prepare junior-level women in the energy sector in Africa to take on positions of leadership and management, while gaining a high-level overview of the sector.
We are currently running these two CPD courses:
Future Female Leaders in Energy is a remote, online CPD course that is aimed at junior women employees working in the energy and off-grid energy sectors in Africa. It was developed in collaboration with the African Management Institute (AMI), who developed 3 of the 6 modules, while UCT developed the remaining 3. The module topics are as follows:
- Introduction to the energy and off-grid energy sectors [UCT]
- Leadership (Personal, Team, and Organisational) [UCT]
- Risk Management [UCT]
- Project Management [AMI]
- Communication [AMI]
- Financial Management [AMI]
Each module runs over 1 month, adding up to 6 months of learning in total. The course was designed such that participants would gain a set of practical skills, applicable knowledge, and valuable information that they could apply at their own organisation, and prepare them to be promoted to positions of leadership and management. Assessments (consisting of quizzes and projects) are used to guide the participants along the way so that they can track their progress and ensure that they are achieving the learning outcomes for the course.
The first cohort (which started in July 2023) consisted of 30 women from 12 different countries around the African continent, and they are set to graduate in April 2024 . The second and third cohorts both kicked off in October 2023, and over the next few years, we expect a total of at least 300 women to graduate from Future Female Leaders in Energy, thereby helping us to live by one of our core values of improving gender equity within the energy and off-grid energy sectors. Provisional upcoming cohort dates are February 2024 (2 cohorts), April 2024 (2 cohorts), July 2024 (2 cohorts), and October 2024 (1 cohort).
Integrated Energy Systems (IES) is another completely remote, self-paced, online CPD course aimed at intermediate-level employees working in the energy and off-grid energy sectors in Africa. The course was designed and developed by TEA-LP, with the support of four distinguished content experts from around the continent. Each content expert was responsible for developing one module of the course as follows:
- Energy Security: Oghosa Erhahon (Nigeria)
- Whole (Energy) Systems Thinking: Dr Karim Choukri (Morocco)
- Sustainability: Dr Fenwicks Musonye (Kenya)
- Energy Efficiency: Fana Fili Nurhussien (Ethiopia)
Each module runs over 2 weeks and consists of 20 hours, totalling 8 weeks (80 hours) of learning time. The course gives participants an in-depth understanding of energy systems, and how important aspects such as energy security, sustainability, and efficiency play a role in shaping modern energy systems.
The first cohort began in October 2023, and had 10 participants. The course is intended to be offered at least twice a year on a bi-annual basis until 2026. The next cohort is scheduled to start in February 2023, with additional 2024 cohorts starting in June and October.
The course is accredited by the UCT EBE CPD office and has been registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). Upon completion, participants will gain 8 CPD points, which demonstrates that they have committed themselves to learning and developing themselves professionally. This can open the door to new opportunities, career development, and increased responsibilities.