SOLA has launched its first engineering bursary, giving the opportunity for a final year electrical engineering student to have their tuition paid for and a job opportunity as a graduate engineer in the solar PV field. The move comes as part of SOLA’s broader shared value strategy, that aims to bolster STEM education and give opportunities for young engineers seeking careers in renewable energy to flourish.

“It is a great step forward for us, and one we are very excited about,” said Dom Wills, CEO of SOLA Group. “We know that there are incredibly smart students out there who have faced giant odds to get to where they are. We want to support them on this journey, because that will ultimately make our organisation stronger in the future,” he added.

The bursary is eligible to previously disadvantaged students who plan to enter into their final year of BSc or BEng electrical engineering at a Cape Town based institution in 2022. The bursary will include R75 000 tuition, paid vacation work, and a graduate engineering position after the studies have been completed. 

“We particularly encourage women to apply for the bursary, who have historically been underrepresented in our industry,” adds Wills. “We hope that this bursary can help to demonstrate the viability of a career in renewable energy and encourage more electrical engineers to take this direction.”

SOLA has been a great success story of the renewable energy industry, opening with just four people in 2008 and expanding to in excess of 80 employees in 2021, with some of South Africa’s biggest renewable energy projects under its belt: successful REIPPP bids, South Africa’s first large microgrid project on Robben Island, and securing South Africa’s first large-scale wheeling agreement. The bursary adds to the company’s contribution to South Africa’s economy and its commitment to see South Africa thrive.