Higher Diploma in Renewable Energy Systems Engineering
Uganda's electrification gap and its renewable resource meet in a sector expanding faster than its engineering capacity: mini grid developers, solar companies, commercial and industrial installers, utilities and donor funded access programmes all compete for the small number of people who can engineer a system rather than install one.
Occupational profile
What you'll be paid to do
Uganda's electrification gap and its renewable resource meet in a sector expanding faster than its engineering capacity: mini grid developers, solar companies, commercial and industrial installers, utilities and donor funded access programmes all compete for the small number of people who can engineer a system rather than install one.
The distinction matters, because the sector's failures are overwhelmingly design and operations failures rather than installation failures.
The graduate works as any of the following, in a sector with committed national and donor investment: engineer developers, EPC monthly Energy audit and Industry, consultancies, UGX 1,800,000 to 4,000,000
| Occupation | Where the work is | Starting earnings, observed 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Renewable energy design engineer | Solar and mini grid developers, EPC contractors, consultancies | UGX 2,000,000 to 4,500,000 monthly |
| Mini grid project engineer | Developers, electrification programmes, utilities | UGX 2,000,000 to 4,500,000 monthly |
The 90-Day Promise
From certification to income, stated concretely
Day Pathway Named employer categories with which the College holds or is concluding placement and hiring partnerships: mini grid developers; solar EPC and programmes; equipment suppliers; and large commercial and industrial energy users.
Partnership target: twenty active partners by the first cohort's year two training, each offering at least two placements.
The ninety day pathway from certification to income:
Day 0: graduation with the Capability Transcript, the mentor's reference, a delivered capstone project with verified performance data, and the external panel's assessment.
Day 0: graduation with the Capability Transcript, the mentor's reference, a delivered capstone project with verified performance data, and the external panel's assessment.
Days 1 to 30: employed route: three arranged interviews with developers and consultancies that have seen the graduate deliver. Venture route: the enterprise's client projects continue; the mentor reviews month one.
Days 31 to 90: employed route: probation support from the practice tutor. Venture route: referral listing for partner overflow design and audit work, and the College's own energy portfolio, standing terms in the partnerships.
Measurement: employment or trading status recorded at day 90 and published in the annual outcomes report, per Part Two, section 2.9.
Programme structure
Every module, with its arithmetic
One credit unit equals ten notional learning hours. 240 credit units, 2400 notional hours: 685 contact, 1380 practical and 330 industrial hours, so practical and industrial hours are 71 per cent of the programme.
h nt and g and s g and and n g e Use One s, ce y and ial Two Practical and industrial hours together are 1710 of 2400 notional hours, 71 per cent, meeting the hands on test.
Semester 1
| Code | Module | CU | Contact h | Practical h | Industry h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RES311 | Energy Systems Engineering and Resource AssessmentEngineering begins with the resource honestly measured: the learner assesses solar, hydro, biomass and wind resources and models the energy systems that convert them, at the quantitative depth a bankable project requires. | 14 | 55 | 85 | 0 |
| RES312 | Solar PV System Design and EngineeringSolar is the region's dominant renewable technology: the learner designs photovoltaic systems from small commercial to mini grid scale, to the standard that survives technical due diligence. | 16 | 50 | 110 | 0 |
| RES313 | Battery Storage and Power Electronics EngineeringStorage is what makes renewables dispatchable: the learner engineers battery systems and the power electronics that manage them, at design rather than installation level. | 14 | 45 | 95 | 0 |
| RES301 | Applied Research and Evidence PracticeThe Level 6 difference is evidence: the technologist who can frame a question, gather data honestly and defend a conclusion is the one trusted with decisions. This module builds that discipline in applied, workplace terms. | 10 | 45 | 55 | 0 |
Semester 2
| Code | Module | CU | Contact h | Practical h | Industry h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RES314 | Mini Grids and Distribution EngineeringRural electrification runs through mini grids: the learner engineers the generation, distribution and control of isolated and interconnected grids, the technology closing Uganda's access gap. | 14 | 50 | 90 | 0 |
| RES315 | Energy Efficiency, Audit and ProductivThe cheapest energy is the energy not needed, and the energy that earns is the energy used productively: the learner audits consumption and engineers the productive use that makes rural systems viable. | 14 | 50 | 90 | 0 |
| RES316 | Energy Policy, Regulation and Project Finance | 12 | 50 | 70 | 0 |
| SPNH301AI spine | Digital Energy Systems, Monitoring and AIRenewable projects live or die on regulation and finance: the learner navigates Uganda's energy regulatory framework and structures projects that can actually raise money. | 16 | 50 | 110 | 0 |
| ITRH301 | Industrial Training OneTen assessed weeks with an energy developer, installer or utility at the end of year one, at Level 6 responsibility, under | 16 | 0 | 10 | 150 |
Semester 3
| Code | Module | CU | Contact h | Practical h | Industry h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RES411 | Renewable Energy Project Engineering and DeliveryYear two's core: the learner takes a renewable project from feasibility through construction to commissioned, performing asset, which is the technologist's defining professional act in this sector. | 18 | 55 | 125 | 0 |
| RES412 | Operations, Maintenance and Asset PerformanceRenewable assets earn over twenty years or fail in three: the learner runs operations and maintenance across a distributed portfolio and defends the performance the investors were promised. | 16 | 50 | 110 | 0 |
| RES413 | Advanced Practice ElectiveDepth beats breadth at Level 6: the learner specialises in one strand to professional depth, building the portfolio that makes them hireable for a specific senior role. | 16 | 50 | 110 | 0 |
| LEAD301 | Technical Leadership and Project ManagementThe Higher Diploma exists to produce the person who runs the team and the project: this module builds the leadership, planning and financial control that separates a technologist from a technician. | 12 | 50 | 70 | 0 |
Semester 4
| Code | Module | CU | Contact h | Practical h | Industry h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPN102AI spine | Digital Work and Platform IncomeThe shortest module with the fastest payback: how a technician finds customers, prices work, invoices and gets paid through digital channels. | 4 | 15 | 20 | 0 |
| ENT301 | Technology Enterprise and Commercial PracticeAt Level 6 the enterprise question changes from can you trade to can you build something that scales: this module treats the technology business, its finance, contracts and growth, at the depth the graduate's ventures now require. | 10 | 40 | 60 | 0 |
| ITRH302 | Industrial Training TwoTwelve assessed weeks in year two at technologist level with a substantial host project, under the Part Two policy. | 20 | 0 | 20 | 180 |
| EXPH301 | Capstone Engineering ProjectThe Level 6 closing argument: a complete renewable energy project engineered, delivered and performance verified, or an energy enterprise operating, defended before a professional panel. | 18 | 30 | 150 | 0 |
The AI and Digital Practice Spine
AI, taught inside this trade
Applied Here The spine of Part Two, section 2.13 at Higher Diploma depth: 20 credit units across SPNH301 and SPN102.
AI tools for my trade
Forecasting, optimisation and AI assisted design and diagnosis, verified against measured generation and meter data
Data in my trade
Resource data, performance ratios and fleet analytics as the evidence base for every engineering and commercial claim
Working with automation
Monitoring, dispatch and control systems engineered and bounded by the technologist
Judgement, ethics and safety
The honest yield figure; the substandard equipment refused; the underperformance reported to the funder rather than explained away
Digital work and platform income
The engineering practice profile, design and audit services sold regionally, from SPN102 and ENT301
Learning outcomes
What the graduate can do
- PLO 1
Assess renewable resources and model energy systems with honest uncertainty
Level 6: investigates and analyses with rigour
- PLO 2
Design solar PV systems to standards from commercial to mini grid scale
Level 6: designs complex technical systems
- PLO 3
Engineer battery storage and power electronics for defined duty cycles and local conditions
Level 6: applies advanced technical expertise
- PLO 4
Design mini grid generation, distribution, control and revenue systems
Level 6: designs complex systems with commercial dimensions
- PLO 5
Conduct energy audits and engineer efficiency and productive use interventions with measured savings
Level 6: analyses and delivers measured outcomes
- PLO 6
Navigate energy regulation and structure bankable project finance
Level 6: works within regulatory and commercial frameworks
- PLO 7
Deliver renewable projects from feasibility through commissioning and handover
Level 6: manages complex projects with accountability
- PLO 8
Manage operations and maintenance across distributed assets and diagnose underperformance
Level 6: manages systems with accountability for performance
- PLO 9
Engineer digital monitoring, forecasting and fleet analytics verified against measurement
Level 6: applies new technology with critical evaluation
- PLO 10
Conduct applied research and defend evidence based engineering conclusions
Level 6: investigates and reports with rigour
- PLO 11
Lead technical teams and manage projects to scope, budget and schedule
Level 6: manages resources and people with accountability
- PLO 12
Build and operate an energy enterprise with defensible economics and contracts
Level 6: operates autonomously with commercial responsibility
Entry routes
Four ways in
- Academic route. A Diploma at UVQF Level 5 in electrical, energy, mechanical or a cognate engineering field, or an equivalent qualification.
- Vocational route. FC-D02 Renewable Energy and Battery Technology is the designed feeder, with its 240 credit units recognised toward cognate modules; FC-D03 and FC-D08 graduates enter with bridging in RES311.
- Recognition of prior learning. Practising energy technicians and installers assess against year one outcomes; advanced standing follows demonstrated competence and a design assessment.
- Mature age route. Applicants of twenty five and above with substantial energy sector practice enter through the access assessment and technical interview.
Industrial training
Assessed weeks inside a working organisation
- Duration and placement
- Ten weeks in year one (ITRH301, 16 credit units, 150 hours minimum) and twelve weeks in year two (ITRH302, 20 credit units,
- Host organisation types
- Mini grid developers, solar EPC and installation companies, energy consultancies, utilities, electrification programmes, equipment suppliers and large energy users with efficiency programmes.
- Learning objectives
- Year one: resource assessment, design and installation engineering at technologist level under supervision. Year two: project delivery, operations and asset performance with a substantial host project.
- Supervision
- A named host supervisor engineer; the practice tutor visits at least twice per placement; electrical safety incidents escalate immediately and suspend the placement pending review.
- Logbook
- Daily entries against the objectives, countersigned weekly by the host supervisor, reviewed by the practice tutor at each visit, kept on the platform.
- Assessment
- Joint workplace assessment against the Level 6 practice rubric each year, plus logbooks and the year two host project.
Assessment and certification
Continuous practical, plus UVTAB
A human assessor confirms every AI-avatar oral examination result before it stands, and the trainer who taught a learner never marks that learner's summative assessment.
- Internal continuous assessment, 60 per cent: workshop task assessments, module projects, logbooks and oral checkpoints, marked under the separation rule of Part Two.
- UVTAB external assessment, 40 per cent: the Board's written and practical occupational assessments for this qualification, taken at the gazetted sittings.
- Practical competency assessment: every practical outcome is assessed by observed performance against published criteria; evidence is retained.
- Oral examination option: any module checkpoint and the exit project defence may be taken in the AI avatar oral examination room, with human confirmation of every result.
- Grading scale: Distinction 80 to 100; Credit 65 to 79; Pass 50 to 64; Not Yet Competent below 50, with the right to reassessment.
- Pass and progression: every core module at Pass or above, all practical competencies demonstrated, industrial training completed, exit project at Pass or above.
- Resit rules: two reassessment opportunities per module without repeating attendance; a third attempt repeats the module; reassessment covers only the outcomes not yet demonstrated.
Exit project
A real venture, or a real employer brief
The capstone is a complete renewable energy project engineered and delivered: resource assessment, system design, financial model, regulatory pathway, installation, commissioning, and performance verified against design over a monitored period, with an operations and maintenance plan.
Venture route candidates may instead establish an energy engineering or development enterprise with at least three delivered client projects to the same technical standard.
Deliverables:
The engineering file: resource assessment, design calculations, drawings and specification The commercial file: financial model, regulatory pathway and the funder ready pack The delivered system: commissioned, monitored, with performance verified The defence: presentation, technical examination and oral defence Grading criterion Weight What excellent looks like Commercial and 20% The model survives stress regulatory rigour testing; the pathway is correct Defence 15% Every engineering and
- The engineering file: resource assessment, design calculations, drawings and specification
- The commercial file: financial model, regulatory pathway and the funder ready pack
- The delivered system: commissioned, monitored, with performance verified
- The defence: presentation, technical examination and oral defence Grading criterion Weight What excellent looks like Commercial and 20% The model survives stress regulatory rigour testing; the pathway is correct Defence 15% Every engineering and
Progression
Where this qualification leads next
No Forward College learner ever meets a dead end.
Into Forward University:
FC-H03 graduates enter the University's engineering degrees with credit transfer of up to one half at Level 6 under the Part Two, section 2.12 equivalence tables, articulating into electrical and energy engineering programmes.
Professionally: the award is designed for direct employer recognition at technologist and design engineer level, and the capstone panel includes external industry and funder assessors for that reason.