150,000 students in Latin America and the Caribbean take online courses in renewable energy
150,000 students in Latin America and the Caribbean take online courses in renewable energy
Source : UNIDO
06-Jun-2016
BRASILIA, 6 June 2016 – In the course of two years, over 150,000 students from the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region have taken online courses offered by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The training programme, titled The Regional Observatory for Renewable Energy in the LAC Region, provides cost-free e-learning courses focusing on promoting access to clean energy in the region. They cover topics such as energy and climate change, wind energy, biogas energy, small hydropower energy; photovoltaic energy, solar thermal energy and energy efficiency in buildings.
Users can find training materials in various formats, including in text, videos and interactive slides. All courses are provided in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Students who successfully complete the courses are granted a certificate, issued by UNIDO and its partners.
The courses were developed within the framework of a regional project implemented by UNIDO in partnership with the governments of Spain and Italy, as well as several Spanish institutions, including the Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology Research, the University of Salamanca, the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and the Economic and Technological Development Distance Learning Centre Foundation.
The project focuses on capacity building, policy planning and the sharing of knowledge and best practices in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency in order to boost investments in the region.
The Observatory, hosted on a web portal, includes updated technical information on the current status of renewable energy in the region; a renewable energy knowledge platform; a geo-reference information system; and technical reports on each of the twelve countries where the Observatory is currently operating.
“This experience has shown the big potential of internet-based solutions in maximizing limited resources and reaching a vast audience. This training programme has raised the profile of UNIDO in the region, as more people are aware of the Organization’s effort to scale up inclusive and sustainable industrial development,” said Gustavo Aishemberg, UNIDO’s Representative to Brazil.
The Observatory´s website has proven to be of interest to hundreds of thousands of users from over 160 countries.