Morocco’s Institute of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Training Jobs
The government of Morocco has for over a decade embarked on a strategy to limit GHG emissions and increase the role of renewables in its energy mix. The government’s target is to reduce emissions by 42% by 2030 (17% unconditional, 25% conditional on international financing). To underpin the target, the government has a number of strategy documents, including the green plan and national energy strategy, which aims to reach 52% installed renewables generation capacity in electricity by 2030. This is expected to lead to the creation of over 50 000 new jobs in the clean energy sector. To support these ambitions, the government has undertaken a programme to train workers for jobs in the renewable energy sector.
The government launched the Institute of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Training Jobs (IFMEREE) in 2011 to educate and train technicians, operators and executives for jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency, with a focus on maintenance and operation of wind and solar installations.
The programme is based on an agreement signed between the government and professionals in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors to build three vocational training institutes in Oujda, Tangier and Ouarzazate, with an aim to eventually train 1 000 workers each year. In addition to initial courses for technicians specialising in renewables and efficiency, the programme also offers continuous training to employees at companies in the three cities and participates in research work and offer technical advice and assistance.
IFMEREE offers specialised diplomas for training in five areas: energy efficiency in buildings, wind systems, solar PV systems, solar thermal systems, and biogas. Admission to the specialised technician courses is based on a competitive examination. IFMEREE provides an estimated 10 000 training hours per year.
The Oujda facility was the first of the three campuses to open, in 2015, and consists of 10 classrooms, two workshop areas for practical work, and one openair workshop that houses a biodigester for the biogas training course. It has an eventual planned intake capacity of 250 students at a time, with a possibility for expansion over time.
IFMEREE also provides continuing education and training services for employees of companies in the renewables sector. Areas for continuing training include for the installation and maintenance of solar pumping systems, energy audits, basic safety for wind energy, and installation and maintenance of solar pumping systems.
The initial investment cost was MDH 95 (EUR 9 million) per institute, or MDH 285 MDH (EUR 27 million) in total, with significant financial support coming from the European Union (EUR 10 million as a donation), the French Development Agency (EUR 10 million as a loan) and the Germany cooperation agency GIZ (EUR 2 million for equipment and teacher training). The remainder comes from the state budget.
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