Renewable employment with energy

A Karratha renewable energy company is generously providing temporary work to locals who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Cheeditha Energy chief executive Brigette McDowell said she wanted to do all she could to support the community and lessen the economic impacts of COVID-19. “I have a lot of friends in industries that have been significantly affected and our industry hasn’t yet, so we thought we may as well help while we can and keep the economy as healthy as possible,” she said. “We will be hiring them casually over the next three to four months or however long it takes. We’ve got a steady flow of work for the next three months so we are comfortable so far.” Ms McDowell said the work would involve the mechanical installation of solar panels and all employees would be trained as trade assistants. “Putting in the railing, attaching the panels to the roof. It’s before the electrics come into it; it’s just the mechanical part,” she said. “It really just involves being able to bend over or kneel down. Some level of physical fitness is required and being comfortable on a roof.” Ms McDowell said the aim of the initiative was to hire staff on a casual basis who could then return to their usual jobs once the pandemic was over. “It also means these people have work for a temporary period and then go back into their positions when they pick back up,” she said. “If people have permanently lost their roles and it’s a field they might be interested in going into, we are happy to consider taking on employees on a longer term basis.” Ms McDowell said Cheeditha were hiring five people this week and were encouraging locals to reach out if they were interested in solar installation and looking to learn new skills.