SARETEC Funded Renewable Energy Training

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) is the renewable energy training facility of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), based on CPUT’s Bellville campus. Most of its courses are paid for by the student, but SARETEC also runs funded intakes when a sponsor pays for a group of young people. Three kinds of funded training appear on its call for applications page: two short skills programmes paid for by the Energy and Water SETA (EWSETA) for unemployed youth in Cape Town, and the Wind Turbine Service Technician qualification, which wind farms fund for young people from the towns around their sites.

All three are for people aged 18 to 34 who are South African citizens or permanent residents, and the Cape Town calls and the recent wind calls also require a clean criminal record. Beyond that the requirements differ a lot, from NQF level 1 for the Cape Town skills programmes to an NQF level 4 trade plus work experience for the wind technician course.

Renewable Energy Workshop Assistant (REWA), closes 2 October

EWSETA has funded 150 unemployed young people from the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality for the REWA skills programme, a QCTO-approved course worth 24 credits. The six weeks combine theory, practical work and workshop training. SARETEC presents REWA as an entry point to further training as a solar PV service technician, solar water heater installer, wind turbine service technician or electrician.

• Call opened 7 September 2026 and closes 2 October 2026. Applicants hear the outcome on 19 October 2026.
• Minimum entry level is NQF level 1. Applicants with a matric certificate or higher qualification get preference, as do women from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Learners are split into groups. Group 1 runs from 2 November to 11 December 2026, and further groups run through 2027, with the sixth listed group ending on 17 September 2027. SARETEC warns that dates may change.
• Email a CV, proof of address and supporting documents to REWA@cput.ac.za. Proof of address can be a utility or retail bill no older than three months, a lease agreement, or a SAPS affidavit.

Work Essential Skills (WES), closes 18 October

The second EWSETA-funded call covers 100 unemployed youth in the same metro. WES is a 20-credit QCTO skills programme that takes five weeks. It teaches general workplace skills, which SARETEC describes as the skills needed to work as an employee and complete daily tasks in any industry, rather than renewable energy technology.

• Call opened 21 September 2026 and closes 18 October 2026. Applicants hear the outcome on 30 October 2026.
• Four groups: 9 November to 11 December 2026, 18 January to 19 February 2027, 1 March to 9 April 2027, and 19 April to 26 May 2027.
• Minimum entry level is NQF level 1, with preference for matriculants and previously disadvantaged groups. The address, age and citizenship rules match REWA.
• Send the application and documents to WES@cput.ac.za. That address reaches the two staff members SARETEC names for WES, Sisa Sethi and Grant Melton.

Both calls state that incomplete or late applications will be disqualified. Neither call page mentions a stipend or travel allowance, so applicants should not assume one. People with disabilities who meet the requirements are encouraged to apply, and SARETEC says it will provide reasonable accommodation at the training facility.

Wind Turbine Service Technician intakes sponsored by wind farms

The Wind Turbine Service Technician course is a QCTO occupational certificate at NQF level 5 worth 123 credits: seven months of full-time training at SARETEC (91 credits) and two months of workplace experience on an operating wind farm (32 credits). Wind farms sponsor places for youth from specific towns near their turbines. Applicants need an NQF level 4 qualification in an electrical, mechanical, fitting and turning, millwright or mechatronics field (a national diploma in those fields also qualifies), and the regional calls ask for at least three years of experience after tertiary study.

No sponsored intake was open on 27 September 2026, and SARETEC does not publish a schedule for the next ones; the calls have appeared at irregular times through the year. Selected candidates must pass a construction medical evaluation, which checks for vertigo, fear of heights and confined spaces, medication use, vision, hearing and movement, and includes an addiction (urine) test. Applicants must also owe CPUT no fees and may not be registered for another programme at CPUT or any other higher education institution. Applications are made online through the course page. If the form fails, SARETEC asks applicants to email a screenshot with the completed form to MELTONG@cput.ac.za, which is also the address for self-funded applications.

Some of the same wind farms also fund university and college bursaries in their areas, for example the Aurora Wind Power bursary in Saldanha Bay and the Kouga Wind Farm bursary. EWSETA’s other funding is listed on our EWSETA provider profile, and CPUT’s programmes are on the CPUT profile.

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