Original-equipment manufacturer Nordex Energy South Africa (Nesa) is progressing well with an internship programme for promising young engineers and technicians across three provinces.

The programme, which was launched in November last year, aims to build a skilled pipeline of technicians in the wind sector, which is crucial for achieving the country’s energy transition goals.

The programme has, so far, placed interns across five wind farms in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape provinces.

Qualifying interns need to have at least an N4 qualification in electrical, mechanical or mechatronics disciplines.

Each intern is paired with an experienced service technician mentor for technical support and site insights.

As demand for advanced technology for higher power capacity increases, so does the need for skilled technicians to service and manage wind farms, says Nesa.

To this end, companies such as Nesa and sector counterparts are playing a crucial role in stimulating local jobs and enhancing skills.

The interns have engaged in activities such as turbine maintenance, troubleshooting, administrative tasks and warehouse management. They have also prepared presentations on topics such as condition monitoring systems, drive train energy conversion, generator and main converter relationships, yaw system operations, pitch system components and generator alignment and cooling systems.

The presentations allow the young technicians to showcase their knowledge, communication skills and overall confidence, Nesa states.

The company measures the impact of the programme through regular discussions and an open platform for mentors and interns to raise opinions and frustrations.

Several of Nesa’s operations’ management members have expressed interest in appointing the interns into full-time roles, while others have been advocating for more interns – highlighting the programme’s effectiveness.

Nesa currently has an installed capacity of more than 1 GW, with a 32% market share of the total installed wind capacity in South Africa.