Natasha Mulenga is a recent Electrical/Electronics Engineering graduate who can attest to the numerous opportunities that CEC provides young people in Zambia. She has shared her story, detailing her exceptional experience working with the energy company’s engineers, and the career opportunities she was able to pursue after working with them.
When Mulenga was in her fifth year of electrical engineering studies at Copperbelt University, her lecturer presented the opportunity to work on a model mine shaft and conveyor system that would be powered by solar energy. CEC had requested students to work with their engineers on a project for exhibition at CAMINEX 2018 in Kitwe. Mulenga was one of the four students selected for the project and relished the chance to gain hands-on experience and put into practice what she had learned.
The team worked on building a model that resembled a working underground mine complete with a cage for transporting staff in and out of the shaft. The model was connected to a solar power plant and erected on-site at the CEC exhibition stand to demonstrate the company’s capacity in solar power development.
Mulenga’s journey with CEC didn’t end there. She was among the students who benefited from CEC’s 1MW solar PV power plant, which allowed them to use the facility for learning and research. She collected data for her fifth-year project from the solar plant and later applied to CEC’s Graduate Development Program, where she was picked to be part of the solar development program aimed at working on the Company’s development of its two solar PV plants of combined 40MW capacity in Garneton, Kitwe, with InnoVent SAS of France.
Mulenga spent five weeks in Namibia at InnoVent’s Solar PV and wind farms, and when she returned to CEC, she had a new outlook, increased knowledge, new skills, and a hunger to practice. After the development program ended in June, she was taken as an Assistant Engineer, Electrical for Business Expansion Projects.
CEC’s commitment to education is laudable. They provide opportunities for young people to learn and work through internships, development programs, placement, and employment. Their investment in the next generation of engineers in Zambia is notable, and Mulenga’s story is just one example of the impact they are making. She is grateful for the opportunities that CEC has provided and would like to see more students access the same opportunities that she had.
