Meeting with students
of Vekua school
A joint project of USAID and GREDA to educate and raise the awareness of the future generation
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Georgian Renewable Energy Development Association (GREDA) have joined hands to launch an initiative to educate and raise the awareness of high school students on subjects including renewable energy and environmental protection.
Through this joint initiative, USAID and GREDA experts will develop a manual that can be used by educators to informally educate high school students on energy and environmental issues. Together, the parties will deliver 20 lectures at schools located in Tbilisi and pre-selected affected regions to educate students on the benefits of renewable energy and the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development. In addition, the students will be provided with career guidance to better understand the new opportunities and careers which are rapidly becoming available in the energy sector.
On February 16, Public School 42, the Physics-Mathematics Public School named after the mathematician, Ilia Vekua, provided the venue for the first of these lectures. Mata Gordezian, GREDA’s project manager, opened the discussions with a description of the
career opportunities and professions involved in the energy sector. In addition, special guests from the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC) and Maya Melikidze, Chairman of the Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA), shared their personal experiences and the likely paths to successwith high school students.
''Since GREDA was established with USAID’s support in 2017, our two organizations share a special relationship. Our partnership, based on shared values of education, is essential to our success in this collective effort to raise the awareness of our youth of
energy sector developments. Because, as you know, planning is underway for the construction of several generation facilities in Georgia, this is a great opportunity for us to raise the awareness of the benefits of renewable energy among our students. Let’s
trigger the interest of the new generation in career opportunities available in the energy sector,'' said GREDA Supervisory Board Chairman Giorgi Abramishvili. “Throughout the world, the electricity sector is more complex and dynamic than it has
ever been before. Because technological and environmental changes are coming at such a rapid pace, energy sector leaders need information and skill sets far beyond what they ever received in their academic studies. And they will have to be lateral
thinkers, so that they can successfully face the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition. We are delighted to get back into the classroom and to partner with our colleagues at GREDA to be a part of these awareness raising activities.” Rob
Taylor, Chief of Party USAID’s Securing Georgia’s Energy Future. The project will also foster the engagement of females interested in technical subjects and expose them to career guidance in the energy field.
