Electricity and Control January 2021

RESKILLING, UPSKILLING + TRAINING

A new concept to some of us, Giving Tuesday follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Established in 2012, Giving Tuesday has over the past eight years grown from a simple idea – a day that encourages people to do good – into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity. Whether it is making someone smile or helping a stranger, the movement demonstrates that every of act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give. In the run up to last year’s Giving Tuesday, Schneider Electric South Africa rolled out complimentary virtual training to its network of education partners across Southern Africa. The digital training sessions are presented by the company’s skilled employees and support Schneider Electric’s continuing commitment to energy education in the region. In addition, through the year and as part of Schneider Electric South Africa’s strategic focus on sustainable development, the company donated equipment to training partners for practical training during 2020. This support is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 4: To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; and 8: To promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. The company’s employees were also invited on Giving Tuesday to take part in the Schneider Electric Foundation’s internal global Heart to Heart contest (running into 2021), by marketing their chosen NGOs on the company’s global Complimentary virtual training

VolunteerIn platform and collecting votes. The winning NGO for each country will be awarded funding from the foundation. The training rollout forms part of phase three of the Schneider Electric Foundation’s global Tomorrow Rising campaign, launched earlier this year in response to the impacts of the pandemic. Phase 3, aptly termed ‘Resilience’, places the focus on supporting educational institutions with complimentary training sessions, with most being hosted digitally due to restrictions relating to the pandemic. Gideon Gouws, a lecturer at Eastcape Midlands College commented following training sessions provided to his students duringNovember 2020: “The trainingwas excellent and very professional, the presenter is undoubtedly an expert in his field.” Zanelle Dalglish, Director Sustainable Development and Academy for the Anglophone Africa cluster at Schneider Electric South Africa says, “Giving Tuesday is another way we can offer support to our valuable training partners, particularly in a time when access to education is critical and yet often difficult to come by. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, we have persevered. The more than ten training courses offered included virtual courses in EcoStruxure, other technical courses, as well as ethics.” She adds, “We are committed to providing support with complimentary training sessions and, following training, we assist in seeking employment opportunities for students, when possible, within our network. Since 2016, 13 students from our education network have found employment with either Schneider Electric South Africa or our partners.”

Speaking volumes of the success of the education network is Luvo Dubulo who, after undergoing his entrepreneurship training, started his own business and is still affiliated with the training partner, Vaal University of Technology. One of the recipients of electrical equipment in 2020 was the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Electrical and Information Engineering. “We are grateful for the donation of the breakers from Schneider Electric. This enables the school to keep the Energy Laboratory in good operational order. The role of the Energy Laboratory is invaluable in preparing the students for the challenges in the energy industry. It would be impossible to sustain the laboratory without significant industrial support,” says Professor Willie Cronje, School of Electrical and Information Engineering at Wits.

Luvo Dubulo, a young entrepreneur, started his own business after completing his entrepreneurship training with one of Schneider Electric South Africa’s training partners.

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28 Electricity + Control JANUARY 2021