In the context of a full-scale war, the problem of “personnel hunger” in engineering professions is constantly relevant. Active involvement of women in the technical field can be a response to this need. That is why the Greenpeace team initiated the Solar Power Plant Installer course, which aims to give women the opportunity to learn a new profession and increase the representation of women in the green sector.
“We are dedicating this project to the resilience of Ukrainian women who can do anything,” says Polina Kolodyazhna, the initiator of the course and Greenpeace senior campaigner. ”The Solar Installer course breaks down stereotypes that this is a purely male profession, because during the training, women have shown that they can do calculations, stay on the roof in full equipment, and reliably install solar panels. We hope that the course will inspire more and more Ukrainian women to take up green professions, the potential of which is constantly growing in the time of the energy crisis in Ukraine.”
Participants were selected on a competitive basis among women with basic technical education and strong motivation. Atmosfera, a solar energy specialist, became a partner in the project and provided its facilities for the training.
“Women are characterized by a high level of interest in learning – they actively participate in all practical tasks and fulfill them thoroughly. As for the limitations, they are more related to the level of knowledge than to gender aspects. It is worth noting that technical training is required to work in a technical field, such as installation, engineering, or design. Therefore, women related to energy, solar energy, or renewable energy were selected. Regardless of whether the graduates will work as installers, they plan to use the knowledge they have gained in their professional activities,” says Oleksii Veretelnyk, program manager of the Atmosfera Academy, an educational platform for training solar energy specialists.
Almost 150 women applied for the competition, which demonstrates a great interest in the profession. In the end, nine winners were selected to undergo online theoretical training and technical practice in Kyiv in August 2024.
Alyona Panchenko, 34, is among those who have acquired the profession. She is currently on maternity leave and is looking at the solar energy industry: “The course is practical, there is a lot of information. At first it was a bit difficult, because it requires not only knowledge but also physical fitness. Now I really want to practice at a real facility.” Her classmate, Kharkiv resident Halyna Cherkashyna, who now works at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, adds that she never thought she would not be able to master the profession of an installer: “Traditional old stations were kind of “machinic”, welding was required, they were really very complex systems. But solar systems are beautiful! The solar panel is not too heavy. Yes, it’s uncomfortable on the roof, but it’s also uncomfortable for men. I am glad that Ukrainians are becoming modern and women have more and more opportunities to realize themselves in any technical profession.”
At the end of the summer, the solar power plant installers received their professional certificates. In the near future, the Greenpeace team plans to engage the course participants in the installation of solar power plants during the restoration of social infrastructure at various sites in Ukraine.
