Company training program helps upskill students

JUBA – In many countries around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has put pressure on economies and job markets.

South Sudan has not escaped these financial pressures, so any efforts by private companies to help train and develop skills in the local workforce, need to be applauded. The Ezra Group is one such company, offering internships and skills development training at the Ezra Power Plant in Kondokoro, Managalla County, outside Juba.

Currently, there is a group of two students who come to the power plant during the morning shift. Depending on the students’ level of education, the training lasts for between 1 and 3 months.

Natnael Ghebrengus Ezra, Operations Manager at Ezra Group, explains that the main aim of this project is “to create gainful employment for both skilled and semi-skilled people through knowledge transfer. We hope to generate meaningful jobs offering higher wages at the corporate level, and enhance productivity through developing skills.

The Ezra Power Plant also helps make electricity more accessible and affordable, which in turn supports infrastructure development and economic opportunity throughout South Sudan.”

One of the trainees is Philip Sarafino John, a 28-year-old with an electrical engineering degree, majoring in power systems, from the University of Juba.

John says, “When I graduated two years ago, I found it difficult to get work so I decided to come and do some training. As you know, what we learn at the university is just a theoretical aspect of knowledge. So, I decided to use what I have learnt in class to gain practical skills and knowledge.”

Another student is Joy Darius Lado Gore, a 24-year-old in her final year at Amu Aibaminch University in Ethiopia. She is studying electrical and computer engineering and is an intern at Ezra Group.

Gore says, “I am currently enhancing my theoretical knowledge. The areas I am studying now are generators, transformers and distribution lines. I now have the chance to get more practical skills and knowledge about transformers, and I am also now learning many things in the control room.”

Gore adds, “I would like to ask our government to give us more chances, and also not just Ezra, but other companies like oil companies. When we finish training with Ezra, we can work anywhere because the generators used here are also used by most of the oil companies. But I want our government to give girls a chance because we don’t get many chances. They say you can’t do what a man can do, but we can!”

Ezra offers a variety of skills such as the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy, the technical aspects of power generation, transformer connections, cooling, maintenance, and auxiliary training in lighting systems, motors and isolators.

Students like Gore and John have been selected after applying to the Ezra head office in Juba, or are referred by the University of Juba.

The training programme is a dream come true for John, “I developed a love for engineering when I was at secondary school, and my writings and drawings were very good, including the way I used to present things.”

After completing their training or internship, power plant engineers evaluate the students, and then give them letters of recommendation based on their performance. The programme will also soon include a certificate. And if there are any vacancies at Ezra, trainees can also join the company, as has already happened with two students.

The company assists the students with lunch and transport allowances.
About 20 students have already been trained through the Ezra Power Plant Training Programme.