Eskom announced on Friday that it will soon launch a crowdsourcing digital platform to supplement its existing skills base to help address its operational challenges.
According to the State-owned power entity, the platform will act as a skills database for Eskom to acquire additional expertise and resolve its urgent business needs.
The crowdsourcing initiative, according to Eskom, will also leverage partnerships with statutory and non-statutory bodies, such as the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), to ensure that it can access the best candidates in the electricity supply industry, engineering and technical professions.
In recent months, the power utility, which continues to battle capacity constraints, said it has received an overwhelming response to its call for skilled personnel to come forward to assist in rebuilding skills and numerous organisations, and people have come forward to respond to this critical call for national service.
“A diverse cross-section of South Africans have sent enquiries and made themselves available to respond to the call to national service,” said Eskom Group Chief Executive, André de Ruyter.
“Eskom is in the process of matching the skills that have already been made available to its needs and will be recruiting the suitable candidates imminently.”
Crowdsourcing, according to Eskom, is the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via a digital platform.
Since South Africa has a pool of skilled people, crowdsourcing of these skills may offer a unique opportunity for available and willing citizens to support Eskom to resolve its business challenges.
The entity said it has been prompted by several offers and submissions received from organisations and individuals, including experienced engineers and technical experts, who have indicated that they could potentially assist Eskom.
“For Eskom to reap the highest benefit from this diversity of skills, it must also develop a governance mechanism and a platform that will provide an equitable opportunity to all those willing to be considered for service,” said Group Executive for Human Resources, Elsie Pule.
“The process will be driven by the needs of Eskom and will follow a standard governance process for fixed-term contracting.”
Interested people will be able to register on the digital platform to allow Eskom to access skills across the country.
Eskom said it looks forward to collaborating with South African citizens to address the current electricity supply challenges facing the country.
Skills that would be required, include but are not limited to, mechanical, nuclear, electrical, system and maintenance skills, as well as senior artisans and plant operators for coal and nuclear power stations.
