In November, the "Une Lumière Dans la Rue" team in charge of the PROMESS (PROfessionnels pour la Maîtrise de l'Energie Solaire et Solidaire) project welcomed project managers from the PVSYST Foundation. This mission provided an opportunity to take stock of the situation a few months before the end of phase II of the project (June 2021 - July 2023), and to discuss with the team the follow-up to be given to the project in phase III.

A solid foundation

CEFAIMER (CEntre de Formation, d'Application et d'Incubation aux Métiers des Energies Renouvelables) has demonstrated its ability to provide quality training:

• Initial training course - FI, for people with no previous electrical training
• Continuing Education ( CE) course for electricians wishing to specialize in solar energy.
• Medium and Large Installations"(FMGI) training, with a specific focus on solar pumping, as access to water is a major issue in Senegal.

Training hours

To date, after three and a half years of the project, 11 training sessions have been held:

An IF session is currently underway, which will run until the end of Phase II of the project,

A total of 128 learners graduated during these two phases:

In addition, one of CEFAIMER's objectives, in view of the challenges it faces in terms of sustainability, is to obtain government certification for its training courses. Mr Sette, inspector of vocational and technical training, informed PROMESS of the follow-up to the administrative process already initiated by the team with the Ministry. The ultimate aim is to obtain the CPS (Certificat de Professionnalisation Spécialisée), which will eventually lead to greater recognition of the diploma and the activation of common law aids to support young people wishing to access training.

During field visits, the Foundation met with various operators to discuss their activities (for the most active) or their difficulties (for those with a more modest level of activity).

The challenges of the months ahead

These meetings with operators in the field revealed a major need for post-training support for those who are finding it hardest to develop their business or find employment. This point will therefore receive particular attention at the end of Phase II. Two areas of action will improve the monitoring and support of graduate operators:

• Get a clearer picture of the professional situation of PROMESS graduate operators. This area of work will be internalized, with PROMESS' Immersion and Professional Integration Unit responsible for completing the information currently being gathered. This will give us a clearer picture of the post-training workforce and their level of professional activity (salaried employment, entrepreneurship, etc.).
• Reinforce support for operators needing help to find a job or set up a business. This axis can be outsourced. During this mission, several incubators in Thiès were asked to submit a service offer. If one of the offers is deemed satisfactory, the aim is for a first pilot project to support a small cohort of graduate operators to be held during the first half of 2023.

At the same time, the creation of a "corporate" partnership officer post will enable PROMESS to improve its search for training sites (sites carried out during the practical phase of training with trainees), and possibly sites that can be carried out by active operators.

PROMESS team skills were also discussed, with the identification of a need for budgetary and accounting support. A new administrative and accounting manager (RAC) has recently been recruited, and the development of terms of reference for ad hoc support is underway. This support will improve the management team's capacity (Coordinator, RAC) for regular accounting tasks, as well as for the budgetary aspects (forecasting, monitoring) of the project.

The outlook

During the last days of the mission, a number of working sessions were organized with the team, aimed at taking stock of the current phase and outlining the main features of the next phase.

These discussions enabled us to prioritize the objectives of the forthcoming Phase III, in particular the consolidation of the post-training system.

The territorial strategy was also discussed, with the conclusion that it was necessary to carry out a rapid diagnosis of the areas of the country with the greatest needs and opportunities for solar energy. This will enable us to better prioritize the recruitment of future trainees, currently mainly from Thiès or adjacent rural areas, based on areas offering business development opportunities for solar energy operators.

The next half-year will therefore be a key period for the project, with the operational and administrative closure of Phase II and the development of project documents and the start of Phase III.

The PVSYST Foundation would like to extend its warmest thanks to the entire PROMESS team for their availability, exchanges and contributions to the development and follow-up of the project.

On November 16, CEFAIMER inaugurated the Lagazel workshop. Based in Saint-Galmier (42), this company offers sturdy solar-powered lamps, providing an environmentally-friendly solution to Africa's electricity problems. Our partnership with PROMESS has enabled us to set up a workshop at CEFAIMER to assemble these solar lamps, providing salaried work for operators trained by the center.

The event was attended by representatives of local authorities, including the Mayor of Thiès, the Governor of Thiès Province, and representatives of ANPEJ (Association Nationale pour l'Emploi des Jeunes). Former graduates were also present, as were representatives of LAGAZEL, notably Mr Arnaud Chabanne.

Below: the link to the Thiès info report (part in French from 5'48)