Life Choices & GREEN Solar Academy bring the Solar Youth Project to Gauteng. Meet the Solar Youth and the team at the Bergfest celebration on 11 November.
Life Choices, in partnership with GREEN Solar Academy, is excited to announce the launch of a new cohort of solar interns trained under the Solar Youth Project, now running for the first time in Gauteng.
With this solar youth initiative, GREEN Solar Academy extends its award-winning professional training expertise into youth development, offering companies access to young technicians trained to the same high standards that define every GREEN graduate.
Host companies, prospective participants, and TVET colleges are invited to engage with this high-impact programme, whether as hosts, training partners, or recruitment pipelines.
Training Launch & Cohort Overview
Last week, 24 young men and women from Gauteng’s TVET colleges and surrounds, selected through a rigorous screening and bootcamp process, began full training toward roles as Solar Installation Assistants and related roles within the industry. Their journey comprises 2 months of technical, professional development and life-skills training, followed by 10 months of structured internship placements in the solar industry.
Practical skills training during Cohort 2, GREEN Solar Academy Cape Town.
And, for the first time, graduates will receive the PV Installer Assistant certificate, accredited by the AHK (the Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
The application for this C-Level accreditation that aligns with the German dual vocational training framework is underway, which will ensure international recognition of the qualification and set a new benchmark for solar technician training in South Africa.
This expansion to Gauteng builds on the success of two earlier cohorts in Cape Town, run by Life Choices and GREEN. In Cape Town, 22 out of the 23 interns from Cohort 2 have already been placed and are progressing toward full graduation.
“Life Choices is proud of this achievement, as developing young, talented individuals to become employed lies at the heart of our organisation’s mission,” says Life Choices’ Managing Director, Mignon Hardie.
A training model shaped by industry and built for real-world readiness
Participants follow the same technical standards applied in GREEN’s professional training programmes which recently earned them the 2025 SAPVIA Award for Empowerment Through Skills Development.
“This isn’t a watered-down version of professional training,” says GREEN CEO Antje Klauss-Vorreiter. “It’s the same high standard we deliver to qualified installers, simply adapted to young people who are ready to learn, grow and contribute.”
The Solar Youth Project cleverly combines eLearning and hands-on practice, using the same workshops and equipment as GREEN’s professional installer courses, ensuring that participants gain both the theoretical understanding and the practical competence required in the field.
The curriculum itself was developed in close consultation with solar companies, directly reflecting the skills most in demand in today’s installation and maintenance environment.
PHOTO LEFT: At Radio Eersteriver with Radio Host Uran Stigo Andrew, GREEN CEO Antje Klauss-Vorreiter, Anthea Stephen (Cohort 2), Impact Pathways Manager at Life Choices Vuyo Ntlangu, Quinton Barnett (Cohort 2) and intern-turned-junior-GREEN Trainer Unathi Mbali. PHOTO RIGHT: GREEN Solar Academy co-founder and CPO Vivian Blümel with Cohort 2 participants.
Equally important, the programme includes a comprehensive personal and professional development component led by Life Choices. This ensures that every graduate emerges not only technically proficient but also well-rounded, resilient, professional and ready for the world of work.
The result is a training experience that mirrors the standards of professional solar education while preparing youth for lasting employability in a rapidly growing sector.
Bergfest: A Mid-Point Connect Event – 11.11
To bridge the gap between training and real industry demand, a point where many skills programmes falter, we are hosting a Bergfest on 11 November, the pivotal halfway point in the Solar Youth Project’s training journey.
The Bergfest is our way of opening the doors, giving companies, colleges, and future trainees a chance to see the quality of work we’ve built together. It’s also an opportunity for potential employers to meet the trainees in person, engage with the trainers, and experience first-hand the professionalism being developed through the programme.
While internship placement is an important step, our ultimate goal is long-term employment, which means building relationships that create real opportunities for youth and real value for companies.
PHOTO LEFT: The GREEN Team at Solar & Storage Live Africa 2025 – helping every installer climb that mountain! PHOTO RIGHT: Interns from previous cohorts spend time with Tsakani Mashila at the GREEN booth at Solar & Storage Live Cape Town (October 2025).
That is why the event is also open to TVET colleges, prospective students, GREEN alumni, and other stakeholders interested in exploring collaboration opportunities or learning more about solar training. Seats for this event are limited. Applications to attend can be made via our online form: https://forms.office.com/r/KLf20m87ps
When Collaboration Works: Real Stories, Real Impact
Every success story from the Solar Youth Project proves that collaboration works. For example, in earlier cohorts, host companies reported that interns quickly adapted and contributed meaningfully, and alumni have gone on to build careers in solar. So we need to change the narrative. When trained right and when they are being welcomed, young people don’t just learn: they thrive, and companies gain motivated new team members.
As Leigh-An Becker, Regional Manager: Western Cape at Solareff, explains:
“We had two graduates, Joshua Jafta and Mihlali Tomsana, join us as interns and both have since become permanent members of our team. Their journey shows how investing in young talent through the Solar Youth Project creates real, lasting impact.”
SamSam Solar shared a similar experience: “Hosting interns through the programme brought fresh perspectives and renewed energy to our team. We highly recommend it to any company eager to invest in the future while benefiting from the insight and curiosity of these bright young minds.”
Part of the success lies in Life Choices’ deep expertise in youth development and work readiness. Combining that with GREEN Solar Academy’s experience as a professional solar training institution, we can offer rigorous technical training with strong wraparound support and placement pathways.
How to play your part
These results show what’s possible when training and industry move in the same direction. But building a skilled, sustainable solar workforce can’t rest on a handful of partnerships – it needs a collective effort.
Bergfest on 11 November is the perfect first step in that collaboration.
We’re inviting solar companies to join us, meet the interns, and discover how involving young talent can add fresh energy and capacity to their teams.
We welcome TVET colleges and training institutions to see the programme in action and explore opportunities to align or partner.
And we encourage young people who aspire to technical careers to attend, connect, and learn how to take their first step into the renewable-energy sector.
Here’s the RSVP link again: https://forms.office.com/r/KLf20m87ps
Together, we can move beyond talk of skills shortages and unemployment and start building a workforce that reflects the energy, quality, and ambition of South Africa’s solar future.
Contact for Host Companies:
Vuyo Ntlangu, Business Development Manager, Life Choices
📧 vuyo@lifechoices.co.za | ☎️ +27 (0) 21 696 4157
Tsakani Mashila, Head of Sales, GREEN Solar Academy
📧 tsakani@solar-training.org | ☎️ +27 (0) 10 312 6724
