Capacity Development Programme – Renewable energy, Prog. round 3, 2021
Programme Objectives
The overall purpose of this programme is to contribute to
strengthening the conditions for investments in renewable
energy to provide modern and sustainable energy systems,
including all forms of renewable energy such as solar,
wind, hydro, bio (including waste-to-energy) and geothermal
energy. In turn this is expected to lead to poverty
reduction through increased access to affordable, reliable
renewable energy and access to electricity for women and
men living in poverty.
The Capacity Development Programme on Renewable
Energy aims at creating increased knowledge and capacity
of selected organisations and participants about how
different energy systems solutions based on renewable
energy can be developed at different levels in society, from
local communities without network connections to larger
plants at national macro level. The participants will share
knowledge and networks and work together in Country
Teams to develop and implement a common Change
Project that will support change processes within the
participants own organisations and areas of activity.
BENEFITS FOR THE ORGANISATIONS:
• Increased competence and capacity that will help
achieve the organisational goals and activities.
• Professional support for project development that will
strengthen the organisations impact in the field of
renewable energy.
• Opportunities for collaboration through an extensive
international professional network.
• Increased knowledge of and access to different kinds
of funding mechanism related to renewable energy
and energy efficiency projects and activities.
• Highly motivated and capable staff.
BENEFITS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS:
• Increased knowledge and understanding of methods
and tools for renewable energy systems, change
processes and investment opportunities in the
renewable energy field.
• Increased capacity to create and implement Change
Processes in the organisation.
• Access to an extensive international network of
professionals.
• A holistic understanding of opportunities and
challenges in the renewable energy sector
Target Group
Invited countries are: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique,
Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This programme is focused on creating institutional
capacity by engaging Change Agents and establishing
long-term relationships with key organisations within the
field of renewable energy in the target countries. The
Change Agents are expected to share knowledge within
their respective organisations, engaging managers and
colleagues in their Change Projects. Targeted organisations
are ministries/departments, agencies/utilities,
regulators, regional actors, CSO’s and national public
and/or private financial actors. The organisations should
be willing to commit themselves to participation over
several years and to cooperate with other organisations in
the programme.
The organisation should have a certain level of influence
in the energy sector and be willing to push for an increase
of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the country.
Applicants need to be nominated by their organisations to
be selectable. A signature from the supervisor is required
in the application form and once selected a commitment
contract between the supervisor, the participant and
LIFE Academy will be required. Selected participants
are expected to be permitted to allocate working time to
take part in the programme and work on implementing
their Change Project for close to 2 years. The Change
Project is expected to support ongoing change processes
and activities within the scope of the organisation. The
programme is also aimed at an even gender and age
distribution and hence encourage women and younger
professionals to be nominated for participation as well,
given that they meet the criteria for selection.
THE TARGET GROUP CONSISTS OF:
• Mid-level or high-level managers actively working to
strengthen the conditions for investments in renewable
energy and sustainable energy solutions;
• Key persons who are decision makers and normative
for the profession in their respective countries or are
deemed to have the potential to influence or take a
decision-making position;
• Participants who have good language skills in
English and relevant academic degree related to
the programme content or have acquired relevant
knowledge in other ways;
The delimitation of the target group is based primarily on
participants who have a combination of the following:
• Work for/within an actor/organisation that is
strategically important for the programme’s targets;
• Personal prerequisites to participate in change processes
relevant to the area;
• A role and a mandate in their organisation/institution
that provides real opportunities to pursue change work;
• A position that enables them to participate actively
throughout the capacity development programme;
• Good knowledge of the language in which the
programme is offered.
Contents
The programme will focus on three main modules, to be
combined with the pedagogy for capacity development:
MODULE 1: POLICY FORMULATION
The programme aims to facilitate an overall understanding
of the current renewable energy and energy efficiency
situation in each country and thereby introduce various
strategies that can enable policy formulation for a sound
and secure renewable energy management.
MODULE 2: TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS
The programme aims to provide an overall knowledge
and understanding of the prerequisites for a sustainable
energy system based on renewable energy and energy
efficiency. This means that the participants will acquire
knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of
different renewable energy sources, energy distribution
and the importance of energy efficiency.
MODULE 3: INVESTMENTS
Investments in renewable energy technologies are from
the perspective of banks and other investors, still, often
seen as a risk investment, making them unwilling to engage.
The participants will be guided in different forms of funding
possibilities, such as bilateral, regional and multilateral
funds, GCF, PPP, venture capital for different areas such
as innovation, technology development, upscaling and
commercialization.
Programme Structure
PHASE 1: INITIAL PHASE
The focus during this phase will be on forming the Country
Teams and specifying the common area of Challenge to
be used for the Change Projects. Through LIFE’s online
platform “LIFE Network” the participants are introduced
to each other and to subject related topics and crosscutting
issues. This makes sure that the participants will have a
common frame of reference before they meet at the first
Training Session. The participants will also be introduced
to all the programme mentors.
PHASE 2: THE SWEDISH PHASE
(3,5 WEEKS)
The first Training Session will be held in Sweden in
May–June, 2021. The participants will receive support
in identifying and developing a common Change Project
to work on throughout the programme. The training will
consist of group work, lectures, study visits and hands on
activities. Another focus is strengthening networks between
the participants and their organisations with experts and
relevant organisations in Sweden.
PHASE 3: STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS (1-2 DAYS)
AND PROJECT WORK
The Stakeholder Workshops are expected to be arranged
by the different Country Teams simultaneously in the participating
countries and shall focus on clarification of the
context of the projects as well as anchoring the projects
with relevant stakeholders. For this purpose managers and
supporting staff in the organisations will be encouraged
to join the Workshops. Extensive mentoring is available
throughout this phase.
PHASE 4: REGIONAL PHASE (1 WEEK)
This phase will be arranged in one of the countries
in the region. Focus will be on following up
on the Change Projects and implementation of Project
Plans created in Sweden. The aim is also to provide the
participants with good regional examples concerning the
three main areas; policies, technology, and financing.
Programme Structure
PHASE 5: STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS (1-2 DAYS)
AND PROJECT WORK
During this phase focus will be on implementing
the Change Project according to the Project Plans.
Stakeholder Workshops will again be arranged by the
participants to create awareness and engage relevant
stakeholders. Extensive mentoring is available throughout
this phase.
PHASE 6: DIGITAL WORKSHOP (5 DAYS)
This phase will be arranged as a digital workshop
during 1 week. There will be seminars
and discussions on the main subjects; renewable energy,
financing and policies as well as cross-cutting issues and
project management. Lessons learned from the previous
phases will be an important issue for discussions. Project
results so far will be presented and discussed, and mentors
will guide the participants to corrective actions when
needed.
PHASE 7: STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS (1-2 DAYS)
AND PROJECT WORK
Project work will continue according to the Project Plans
(with necessary corrections implemented). In some cases
the project objective will have been achieved, and then
the focus will be on following up the potential outcome.
Again, Stakeholder Workshops will be arranged by the
participants in collaboration with the mentors. As in previous
Workshops the organisation and other stakeholders
should be involved.
PHASE 8: WAY FORWARD (3-5 DAYS)
The purpose of Way Forward is to safeguard
a continuation of the project work initiated
during the training programme. This phase will also be
arranged in one of the participating countries. By the
end of the phase the participants present the results from
the Change Projects, and discuss further actions. Lessons
learned will be highlighted.
METHODOLOGY
This Capacity Development Programme on Renewable
Energy has a strong focus on institutional development.
The collaboration with and commitment from the strategic
organisations is therefore of paramount importance for
the success of the programme. Nominating participants
with a relevant position and mandate to influence ongoing
change processes and activities in the organisation will
accelerate those change processes and contribute to better
goal achievement in the organisation. The expanded professional
international network, knowledge and tools for
institutional development and information about how to
access investments are all components of the Programme
that will make that acceleration possible. The programme
is aimed at more than professional development for the
participating individuals. It is aimed at long-term cooperation
and increased organisational capacity that will
support the development of renewable energy systems
in the targeted countries.
The programme builds upon active participation from the
participants and the organisations with a strong focus on
the sharing of knowledge, practical experience and expertise.
Participants are encouraged to continuously relate
theoretical and practical knowledge to the opportunities
and challenges faced in their home organisations. The
programme employs a mixture of pedagogical methods
such as lectures, group works, forum discussions, case
studies, study visits and extensive use of ICT to support
active learning.
A central component of the pedagogy in the programme
is the planning, implementation and evaluation of a
common Change Project per Country Team. The team
is expected to work continuously with the project with
extensive support from the different Programme Mentors.
CHANGE PROJECT
The planning and implementation of a Change Project
form the basis of the Capacity Development Programme
and requires work during the whole programme period
(2 years). This is paramount to the success of the programme
and as such requires strong commitment from
the organisations and the individual participants. The
participants are expected to allocate at least 0,5
workday per week during 2 years to the planning
and implementation of the Change Project.
During the application stage the applicants are, together
with their organisation, expected to identify and define
a Challenge in the area of renewable energy from their
respective countries. The Challenge should be in line with
the scope of the organisation and the participant should
have a mandate from the organisation to work on this
Challenge. After being selected the participants from each
country will be formed into Country Teams and receive
support and coaching with the aim to develop a common
Change Project that targets a common Challenge that
can be addressed by all the participating organisations.
Alternatively, a main Change Project could be designed
and supported by one or two subprojects.
Ideally the Country Teams will consist of representatives
from several different organisations that can contribute
with their unique perspectives, mandates and networks
to successfully implement the Change Project. This will
also enable the participants to work together on Change
Projects which can contribute to the achievement of both
the programme objective and the organisations’ own
strategies and long-term goals.
The Change Projects will evolve as the programme provides
new knowledge and tools. The practical work and
the drive for project implementation is the responsibility
of the participants and the organisations, but the participants
will continuously receive support by 2 different types
of programme mentors – LIFE Mentors and Regional
Mentors, as well as a support team of experts in the different
subject areas.
Please note that neither Sida nor LIFE Academy is
responsible for any means of financial support to help
realize the Change Projects. However, one central component
of the programme is the identification of investment
opportunities in renewable energy.
MANAGEMENT AND STAFF
The training programme is carried out under the management
of LIFE Academy, Karlstad, Sweden. The team
of lecturers and mentors include Swedish and international
experts as well as experts from the participating
countries, all with extensive experience within their
respective fields.
Practical Information
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
The Capacity Development Programme will be organised
and conducted in English. Candidates from countries
where English is not an official language should do a
language test with an official body in the home country,
unless other documentation to support her / his ability can
be provided.
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
Owing to the fact that the Capacity Development
Programme consists of international travels and work
away from home in a new environment, good health and
full working capacity is conditioned. It is therefore recommended
that candidates undergo a medical examination
before filling in the Medical Statement in the Application
form.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Nominations are assessed on individual and organisational
merits. 30 participants will be selected to each
batch of the training programme taking into account that
the participants bring diversity to the group through their
various backgrounds and professional qualifications. A
description of the Challenge area which will be the base
for the development of the Change Project, together with
the commitment of the home organisation to support
active involvement of the participant in the implementation
of the project will be of crucial importance in the
selection of participants.
Once selected, the participants are required to attend
all scheduled parts of the programme. A Cooperation
Agreement is to be signed by the supervisor in the nominating
organisation before the start of the programme
in order to confirm that the participant will be allowed
working time for the Change Project and active participation
throughout the programme. Due to the character
of the programme, family members are not allowed to
accompany participants to the scheduled phases.
COSTS
Sida will cover all training costs during the Regional
Phases and the Swedish Phase pertaining to lectures,
literature, documentation, study tours and certain social
activities as well as accommodation and food. Participants
are expected to be able to host Country Team meetings at
their respective organisations for the mentoring sessions
with the programme mentors every 2 weeks. International
travel costs during phases 2, 4, 6 and 8 will be covered by
Sida. Any costs arising from the Change Project implementation,
as in arranging stakeholder workshops, are to
be covered by the participating organisations.
Practical Information
Costs for personal expenses are not included and it is the
responsibility of the participant or his/her organisation.
VISA
Participants are responsible for obtaining all relevant visas
during all scheduled parts of the programme. The costs
for obtaining visas are carried by the participants.
INSURANCE
All participants are covered under a group insurance
while on scheduled parts of the programme.
Application Process
To apply use this link below:
https://life.se/global-capacity-development-programme-on-renewable-energy/