PAT Practical Training & Certification (12-day course)

Learn directly from industry experts to plan, configure, deploy, and maintain the technologies that help manage and protect nature every day.

What you'll gain:

• Put theory into practice with two weeks of intensive training.
• Expert-led by experienced industry professionals, including CCF Staff and Professional Trainers from Motorola, Cisco, Thanda Sola and Lapalala Wilderness.
• Hands-on access to your very own kit box, including switches, Ubiquiti P2P, Motorola radios and repeater base stations, LoRaWAN gateways, camera traps, tracking Sensors, with associated software.
• Practical deployment in real-world field conditions, building systems daily on repeat until it becomes muscle memory. Deploy in a simulated learning environment at Touchstone Reserve, Lapalala Wildlife Reserve; access mounts and poles and establish a P2P network from the central learning facility.

• Technology planning skills to identify key indicators and operational requirements within conservation management plans, and design technology solutions that generate actionable data, inform decision-making and support effective responses to simulated conservation challenges.

Connect with a community of experts: 

• Build lasting professional relationships with fellow protected area technicians and industry specialists.
• Grow your professional network with peers working across conservation landscapes.
• Build a support community to share knowledge, exchange ideas and troubleshoot challenges long after the training ends.

Two weeks of practical training:

Each day introduces a new technology, building progressively towards a fully functioning conservation technology system. Starting with power, participants advance through communications, networking, operational technologies, sensor integration and data visualisation. Every day builds on the last, with participants repeatedly assembling, configuring, testing and troubleshooting their systems. This repetition reinforces learning, develops confidence and embeds practical skills until they become muscle memory.

After each theoretical lesson, technicians are provided with hardware to practice and learn with during the evening. They will build and integrate each component of the system. Technicians will be evaluated on their knowledge and are required to give presentations and undergo a formal 1-day assessment to receive their final certification. 

What’s covered:

Your registration includes two weeks of accommodation, meals and access to all the facilities at Touchstone Camp. Please note that you are required to share a room due to limited space. All participants will need to make their own travel arrangements to get to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa and fund their flights. 

All training, hardware access, transportation from OR Tambo to Lapalala, and activities around Lapalala Wilderness are being donated by the Connected Conservation Foundation.

With thanks to our supporting partners:

Places are limited. Register your interest now.