21 SOLAR TECHNICIANS TRAINED IN MBALE DISTRICT

Starting 28th January 2019 to 9th February 2019, 21 technicians from Mbale district undertook a comprehensive two week solar technician training. This was under the Lets Go Solar campaign which was designed as a consumer protection and awareness program.The complimentary campaign was designed to not only give people in off grid communities access to good quality solar products but also ensured that there were skilled personnel to install solar systems. The project was executed with the help of strong partnerships with the Uganda Solar Energy Association an umbrella for all solar companies distributing quality products, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and Energy Without Borders a key partner in the execution of renewable energy exhibitions with funding from the United National Capital Development Fund and DFID.

A solar technician after making a complete installation on a training board in Mbale district.

The two week training was well attended by companies under USEA which further strengthened the skill set of the technicians in the association. The technicians will also be assessed by the Directorate of Industrial Training and be issued a Workers PAS certificate. This will set them apart as proffesionals who have been trained and prepare them for opportunities in solar installation. After the training, participants were able to size and set up solar systems for different home sizes. CREEC has used solar technician trainings to improve the quality of solar energy installations which encourages the uptake of the solar energy technology.In 2019, CREEC has made strong partnerships on capacity building that could lead up to over 100technicians trained in 2019 alone.