Community Gardens

Community development programmes

The Solar Works team is maintaining 4 gardens in the Khâi-Ma region that have created a range of produce since they were set up for the benefit of the surrounding communities. There is a variety of fresh food grown at each location, including butternut, onion, chili, beetroot, kale, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, and pumpkin. The team has even planted some fruit trees for even more fresh produce in future harvests.

All of the fresh produce that comes out of our community gardens is distributed to local residents in the surrounding areas free of charge!

Internship programmes

Community development programmes

AltGen supports the Client to achieve SED objectives by enabling youth to become qualified artisans through internship programmes. Six interns were selected and onboarded via the internship programme which aimed to make them employable for the future. Through collaboration with the NCR TVET the interns underwent apprenticeship training. Outcomes of the programme resulted in 3 individuals receiving an apprenticeship with IPP projects in the area and one mine, another individual went on to be employed through the programmes activities. AltGen facilitated and managed the progamme and as well as administrated all the applicable funds required for the success of the programme.

 

Career development and benchmarking

Community development programmes

The aim of this project was to assist our client in developing a career path and inform on benchmarked remuneration data for their site-based personnel in the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape Provinces.

Community development programmes

Community development programmes

AltGen supports the client’s internal supervisory staff with Workplace Management Services on two of their solar projects based in the Northern Cape, including a 40 MW solar plant as well as a 75 MW solar facility. On behalf of the client, we provide employment to over 100 of their staff – AltGen’s project team which consists of an Operations Manager and HR Administrator are actively involved in the day-to-day activities of the workforce.

The staff compliment is split into two working groups, one being project site-based staff (general up to semi-skilled workers) and the other community workers who fall under AltGen’s “Solar Works Programme.” The programme provides services to the community as well as into the project. The goal of the programme is to upskill the local workforce enabling them to learn entrepreneurial skills or equip them with an improved work ethic which enhances their opportunities for future employment. A notable programme run under the Solar Works Programme was the PPE initiative. The programme aimed to upskill staff in Pofadder with sewing skills to create protective wear for employees on the project sites.

Through the Solar Works Programme, the AES team in Pofadder are spearheading the following community development initiatives in conjunction with various stakeholders and NGO’s in and around towns within the Khâi-Ma Local Municipality:

  • Selection of participants and facilitation to enable “Recognition for Prior Learning” by the NCR TVET for general workers employed on our Client’s IPP projects.
  • Collaboration with FAMSA on developmental training courses and workshops, such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s), life skills for adults, marriage enrichment programs and fatherhood projects. These activities are being implemented to effect social change and improve the quality of life in the staff member’s local areas.
  • Our Solar Works Programme employees are providing their services to the Pella Food Garden which is a successful woman-run subsistence farming business that feeds the Pella community, surrounding Aggeneys, the elderly and the vulnerable. Coordination with BBL and STI provided training to the Solar Works Programme employees based at the Pella Food Garden, such as My Food which deals with trench gardening and teaches them how to be self-sustaining whilst protecting the environment, and My Money which deals with food security and how to earn an income from subsistence farming.
  • Both schools in Pofadder are unable to employ additional staff, therefore, our Solar Works Programme employees assist with various tasks such as the distribution of food to classes, cleaning and sanitising the classrooms, cleaning the kitchens and the grounds around the schools as well as providing some administration assistance to the teachers. In Aggeneys, one of our employees assists at the High School. We further assist with landscaping and cleaning the general area at the Pella and Onseepkans Police stations.
  • Two (2) of our employee assists at the local municipal offices in Pofadder with various tasks, such as access control, screening, and administrative duties from time to time.
  • Witbank is the smallest town within the Khâi-Ma local municipal area where we found a dilapidated tourist centre, which we subsequently refurbished, and it is now a centre of pride. AES’ Operations Manager (Patrick van Heerden) donated leather and tools required to the employees in the community to start a leather crafting workshop. Patrick taught the employees how to manufacture leather goods which they can sell and re-invest into this endeavour to make it a success.
Support Services include:
  • Recruitment and selection of the appropriate candidate
  • Compiling offer letters and applicable legal contracts
  • Claims and leave management
  • Payroll processing and reporting
  • 3rd party payments (UIF, SDL, PAYE)
  • EMP501 annual returns
  • Generate IRP5 and IT3 certificates
  • Daily staff management
  • Performance management support
  • Handling all disciplinary measures (warnings, hearings, dismissals, severances, and retrenchments)
  • Reporting on employees ED hours and engaging with ED Platform on successful submission of supporting documentation
  • Negotiating contracts and possible increases where relevant
  • Develop a training plan (WSP) to acquire funding from the EWSETA for training development activities of the staff

Community Trust Administration

Banner image for community trust

Trust Administration for a large international client’s IPP project which is an on-going project. The high-level scope of works includes conducting a Community Needs Assessment, Community Development Plan and the annual budget thereof, Trust Administration establishment and management thereof. 

Activities for the Trust establishment include the development of:

  • Annual budget
  • Trust fund management policies and procedures

Activities for the Trust Administration include:

  • Managing bank accounts, dividend payments and payments to beneficiary projects
  • Management of annual audits and statutory SARS submissions
  • Review of Trial balance and annual financial statements
  • Secretarial duties including meeting planning and minute taking, updating and maintaining governance documents, general documentation preparation and record keeping
  • Communications and submissions to the Master of High Courts, stakeholders, and Trustees
  • Statutory registrations
  • Trustee appointments and resignation support
  • Coordination of applicable procurement processes and general administration support to Trustees
  • Handling social grievances
  • Reporting to various stakeholders

Establishment of a secretariat; benchmarking, recruitment and selection

The task list included providing a clear SAPVIA organogram as well as an organizational structure. Additionally, CEO and Policy Officers job descriptions and role descriptions were also required.

An industry matrix to compare similar roles in the industry was established.

Throughout the process, AltGen played an active role in advertising and sourcing for the positions to attract the best potential applicants and ensure transparency for all interested parties.

Administrative processes such as references, background checks, qualification verifications, interviewing and shortlisting were all conducted on behalf of SAPVIA. Additionally, assistance with the final decision-making process and negotiations was required.

AltGen was successful in placing all roles pertaining to this mandate.

south african photovoltaic industry association logo
VISIT SAPVIA WEBSITE

Socio-economic development plan

AltGen created a Socio-Economic Development Plan for a 75MW PV project located on the West Coast of South Africa.

This entailed carrying out a detailed community needs assessment to determine the critical socio-economic related initiatives and associated areas of intervention for local communities within 50km of the site.

The needs identified were based on social ills such as alcohol, drug and domestic abuse as well as job creation and skills development. AltGen provided a high-level strategy to implement critical initiatives with an integrated development approach with the Department of Energy, key community members, municipal stakeholders as well as other independent power producers as essential partners.

The proposal supported the creation of a best practice community monitoring and reporting system in line with developmental best practices.

Communities needs assessments for bid submission

The brief was to carry out detailed community needs assessments in the towns adjacent to a wind and solar PV facility. This was done by finding the relevant communities and the statutory as well as non-statutory organisations that function within them to form a basis for the development of a high-level stakeholder matrix from which to conduct an initial needs analysis of potential areas identified for intervention including environmental, education, healthcare, skills development, and enterprise development.

The needs assessments were successfully concluded with appropriate project plans and with minimal disruption to the communities, and subsequently, both projects that were supported were successful bidders into the REIPP bid window round four of the South African renewable energy programme. Due care was taken not to increase community expectations of the arrival of mass jobs and socio-economic opportunities once the facilities were awarded preferred bidder status.

Primary school pupil on recess in a rural community in the Northern Cape.

Job localisation in the REIPP

The broad aim of the project was to establish career pathways and a broad overview of the skills demand within the RE sector in South Africa, with a focus on the Northern Cape to establish if there was potential to invest in a Renewable Energy Centre of Excellence (RECE) in Upington.

Defining the career pathways and skills demands were undertaken in parallel and were to contribute toward an understanding of skills development and RE policy as well as legislative drivers within South Africa. An interactive predictive Growth Model was created, and the job intensity of the various technologies was investigated, with a jobs/MW baseline used to understand the job potential of RE according to various scenarios.

south african photovoltaic industry association logo
VISIT SAPVIA WEBSITE

Renewable energy and energy efficiency career pathways and the skills gap, with special reference to the Northern Cape

The broad aim of the project was to establish career pathways and a broad overview of the skills demand within the renewable energy sector in South Africa, with a focus on the Northern Cape to establish if there was potential to invest in a Renewable Energy Centre of Excellence (RECE) in Upington.

Defining the career pathways and skills demands were undertaken in parallel and were to contribute toward an understanding of skills development and renewable energy policy as well as legislative drivers within South Africa.

An interactive predictive Growth Model was created, and the job intensity of the various technologies was investigated, with a jobs/MW baseline used to understand the job potential of renewable energy according to various scenarios.

university of johannesburg logo
VISIT UJ WEBSITE