GREEN Solar Academy has been dedicated not only to educating and equipping solar installers around Africa, but also building a connected and mutually beneficial network of solar installers and industry professionals. Our name GREEN stands for Global Renewable Energy & Efficiency Network after all and we seek to continue to grow this network through our courses and projects around the continent.

One of the ways we foster the growth of this network is through our Alumni Meetings. These are meetings where GREEN brings together alumni and participants of our courses and connects them with solar industry professionals. We currently hold two types of Alumni meetings. The first meetings are those we hold with participants in our SuperSolarSchool courses. These meetings are usually held on Thursday’s afternoons after the course. The second type is an online meeting we hold over Zoom with panelists and moderators and are held every six weeks.

In these meetings GREEN looks to provide the alumni and participants with relevant and cutting-edge information on the solar industry and hopefully help new installers and old connect with industry professionals. GREEN wants to create a network in which everyone supports and learns from each other, as we work together to build a strong and professional solar industry.

Each alumni meeting is a platform to discuss topics that are relevant for everyone in the solar industry and to help make time for participants and industry professionals to get in touch with one another. Whether it is just a new installer learning about different inverters and the availability in their area or two people coming together to start a business venture, GREEN hopes to foster connection and relationships for all who wish to be involved.

While our in-person meetings at our courses have been happening quite regularly over the past couple of years, our online alumni meetings are a recent development due to COVID-19 restrictions, as well as region restrictions. This has given us a great opportunity, because more people are able to participate in the meetings and we are less limited with who we can invite as panelists.

We are holding our next online alumni meeting next week, 3 June from 16:00-17:30. The topic for this meeting is Jobs in the PV Industry: How to make it a match. The conversation will revolve around questions like: What is an employer looking for? What are effective hiring processes for solar companies? How can GREEN alumni position themselves in the job market? And how to be hired as a young, qualified installer? We will be joined by a panel of industry professionals:

• Lyndsay Cotton, LCP Roofing
• Sean Dennehy, Helukabel
• Antje Klauss-Vorreiter, GREEN Solar Academy
• A surprise speaker
• Moderated by Vivian Bluemel, GREEN Solar Academy

The meeting will be an online panel discussion on Zoom so you can join from the comfort of your home or office. Register on our website and join us, we would love to see you there.