First South African Manufactured Stainless Steel Geyser To Pass Sabs Quality Tests Successfully Engineering students from around the globe join SunTank’s internship program designed to introduce future engineers to solar heating technologies Pretoria 5 June 2006. SunTank, South Africa’s leading solar heating company, launched an intensive internship program for engineering students wishing to gain exposure to the solar energy industry. The program is designed to accommodate students for periods of between three and six months and incorporate them into the multitude of development processes in the company. The launch of the program is part of a long-term commitment undertaken by the company to make a substantial contribution to the education of professionals in the construction and industrial sectors to develop better understanding of renewable energy technologies. From an initial rate of one intern at a time, the company managed to establish a framework which currently handles 10 concurrent interns working and studying primarily at the company’s production facility in Silverton, Pretoria. On arrival, the students are assigned to a mentor who guides them through one or more assignments allocated to them. The assignments cover a wide range of disciplines such as system design, industrial processes, quality management, R & D, etc. South African tertiary education institutions currently offer no engineering degree specialising in renewable or environmental technologies and as a result no South African students currently benefit from the program. A company source expressed concerns regarding this state of affairs and called on government to take active steps in forcing universities to develop courses relevant to the energy needs of the 21st century. “The development of a healthy solar energy industry in the country depends on our capacity to develop world class talent locally,” says the source. END Notes to editorsSunTank SunTank is South Africa’s leading solar heating company with interests and partnerships throughout Southern Africa, East Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. The company consists of 3 divisions covering manufacturing, marketing, distribution and installations of solar heating systems as well as construction and operation of clean energy plants. Company Website Enquiries |