Mechanical Engineering Technician
Mechanical engineering technicians help design, build and maintain wind turbines, the pumps and compressors in hydrogen plants, and the machines in factories that make energy equipment. Industry says the shift from coal power to solar and wind power calls for more electrical and civil engineering skills than traditional mechanical ones.
Jobs in the energy transition
Wind turbine service technician
You'd service and repair the moving mechanical parts of wind turbines, working at heights and in tight spaces.
Extra training: You'd first need a trade such as fitter and turner or millwright, or a mechanical engineering diploma, and then the wind turbine service technician course at SARETEC, a renewable energy training centre in Cape Town.
Hydrogen plant maintenance technician
You'd service and repair the pumps, compressors and gearboxes that move gases and liquids around a hydrogen plant, working from technical drawings.
Extra training: After NC(V) Level 4 you'd usually need a trade certificate or a diploma, and hydrogen producers add their own on-the-job training.
Fuel cell and electrolyser factory technician
You'd help assemble and test electrolysers, which split water to make hydrogen, and fuel cells, which turn hydrogen into electricity, and maintain the machines that make them.
Extra training: Fuel cell makers train technicians themselves, and one South African maker runs a training programme approved by the QCTO, the council that oversees trade and occupational qualifications.
How to get there
The qualifications
What you need to start
To start NC(V) Engineering and Related Design at Level 2, you need to have passed Grade 9, and the older NATED (N1 to N6) engineering courses are no longer open to new students. To register as an engineering technician later, you'll usually also need a diploma accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa, which you can apply for with good enough NC(V) Level 4 results.
These are the official minimum requirements, and colleges can set higher ones.
Where you can study
Data verified June–July 2026 from official college publications and the DHET occupational qualifications register. Spot an error? Suggest a correction.
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