Every August, GREEN Solar Academy run a campaign called the HIDDEN GEMS Challenge designed to encourage more women to pursue careers in the solar industry. And we make it easier for women to get the training they need to succeed in those careers by given them 20% OFF any training they book and pay for – for themselves or another woman – during Women’s Month. The campaign, now in its fifth year, aims to boost diversity and empower women across various roles in the solar industry.
GREEN itself might be 75% female-owned and run, but since our Alumni network is predominantly male, we challenge the MEN in our networks to unearth these HIDDEN GEMS and refer them to GREEN for training. And for each woman who books and pays for a training, the referrer gets one entry into our lucky draw at the end of the campaign.
Prizes on offer include an online shop voucher from our Industry Technology Partner IBC Solar, a Mangwanani Spa Day valued at up to R2 000 from our Industry Technology Partner Solar MD, a small self-contained solar home system from Sun King, and a two-day course in Solar Business Management sponsored by ourselves.
“We support GREEN in the HIDDEN GEMS Challenge because it aligns with our commitment to fostering diversity and empowering women. This initiative not only helps to bridge the gender gap in the PV sector but also provides the essential training and support needed for women to succeed. Together, we are uncovering and uplifting the hidden talents that will drive the future of solar energy,” explains Zané Dippenaar, Project and Marketing Manager, IBC SOLAR South Africa.
2024 marks the fifth year that we have run this campaign, and we never tire of seeing more female faces in our classes getting the training that will allow them to do their jobs with confidence.
Many of the women in our industry are in sales and marketing positions, this is true: women have an extremely pro-social agenda and employ reciprocal (asking questions) and collaborative (“we will achieve this together”) language. They will listen to customer concerns and questions that go beyond the facts and figures, and take the time to ensure the end-user truly grasps the scope and limitations of their system, managing expectations for a more pleasing outcome.
But there is an increasing number of females who have a STEM background and come into the industry as technicians, system designers and project managers, or as the founders of their own solar businesses. And our short professional courses help them to bridge the gap between their current industry and the PV industry, whether you need hands-on practical system installation skills or solar business management skills.
We encourage all women to take advantage of the 20% HIDDEN GEMS Discount to do one or more short courses with GREEN and become part of the GREEN Alumni Network, South Africa’s largest and most well-established solar network that gets people collaborating and doing more business together.
“At GREEN we take networking every bit as seriously as we take solar training. Our HIDDEN GEMS is proof of the power of networking to unearth the HIDDEN GEMS of the PV sector, the WOMEN in our worlds, who only need the right training to make that leap from their current industry,” says Antje Klauss-Vorreiter, co-founder and CEO of GREEN Solar Academy.
To accept this year’s HIDDEN GEMS Challenge visit: https://solar-training.org/hiddengems/ or contact the GREEN team on +27 (0) 10 312 6724 or info@solar-training.org
