The free interactive online training course, Spark Your Interest in Electricity has since its launch, more than a year ago, seen approximately 1700 students from English-speaking Africa enrolling into the course and completing one or more sub courses.  To date, the majority of enrolments have been from South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. 

The Spark Your Interest in Electricity course, which was designed and launched in a partnership between Schneider Electric and multimedia giant Trace, is available on the Trace Academia app from both the Google Play (Android) and Apple iStore (iOS) platforms. 

“Schneider Electric is leading the way when it comes to providing training to the youth.  With the world becoming increasingly more digital and virtual, we’ve ensured that that our training approach keeps up with these evolving trends,” says Zanélle Dalglish, Global Leader: Training & Education Affairs, who was instrumental in establishing this course with Trace Academia.

“The Spark Your Interest in Electricity course provides an introduction to electricity for NEET youth (Neither in Employment Education or Training) as well as anyone that is interested to understand the basics of electricity. The course was designed and developed by a team of experts from South Africa that carefully designed the course curriculum to include the important modules required to Spark your Interest in Electricity,” says Dalglish.

The Spark Your Interest in Electricity course has been developed in line with Trace Academia’s criteria for course certification which includes a rigorous approval process and aims to provide a virtual hands-on training in the field of electricity.  

It also serves as a precursor to encourages youth to take the next step; enrolling in an electricians or related course provided at various tertiary and vocational institutions.

To obtain a Spark Your Interest in Electricity certification, which serves as an introduction to electricity, students must complete the entire course syllabus which includes eight modules:

1. Discover The Magic of Electricity,

2. Electrical Sockets and Light Fittings.

3. Connecting Wires.

4. Principles Of Electricity.

5. Discover Circuit Breakers.

6. Understand Series and Parallel Circuits.

7. What Are Electrical Hazards.

8. What Is an Earth-Leakage Device?

“Our aim with the course material is to truly spark students’ interest, laying the groundwork for future studies in the electrical trade. Module 1 of the course delves into the magic of electricity, including its formation, movement, and storage, while module 7, for example, provides insight into understanding series and parallel circuits which is fundamental to any electrical work,” explains Avin Ramjeeth, Projects & Offer Manager at the Schneider Electric Academy.

“The Schneider Electric Spark your Interest in Electricity course is one of many education and training initiatives that lie at the heart of the company’s commitment to Youth Impact though Learning,” says Carina van Zyl, Corporate Citizenship Leader for Anglophone Africa, Strategy and Sustainability. These include:

• Partnerships in conjunction with the Schneider Electric Foundation among others and tertiary and vocational training organisations to form part of the French Southern African Schneider Electric Education Centre (F’SASEC) network focusing to enhance energy technical training.
• The New Skills of the Future and Innovation programme of the Schneider Electric Foundation aimed at skilling and empowering youth in energy transition by leveraging the company's resources to provide financial and technical support in view of 139 million new jobs in energy transition by 2030.