Future engineers moving up
Graduates see bright future after qualifying in apprenticeship programme
THREE students are one step closer to achieving their dreams as the latest graduates of the Tongaat Hulett sponsored apprenticeship programme.
The programme is helping address the artisan skills shortage in South Africa.
The students, from Stanger, Macambini and Mandeni, started their four-year apprenticeship programme in 2009.
Zanele Nzuza, Tongaat Hulett’s Human Resources Officer for Amatikulu Mill, said that students required a N3 Engineering qualification to be eligible for the programme.
‘Once the students have completed their apprenticeship they are employed by Tongaat Hulett as junior artisans.’
These programmes assist with sourcing and developing young talent in anticipation of future skills requirements.
To support these programmes, Tongaat Hulett has formed strong partnerships with select educational institutions and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).
The apprenticeship programme is divided into four phases, with each phase consisting of 12 weeks of training at the Shukela Training Centre in Mount Edgecombe and 25 weeks of factory training at Tongaat Hulett’s sugar mills.
For Zanele Ntuli of Mandeni, the apprenticeship programme came at a critical time in her life, when the foster grant she and her siblings had been reliant on was discontinued.
As the eldest of five orphaned children, the responsibility to be the breadwinner of the family fell on her shoulders.
‘It (the programme) has changed my life,’ the 34-year old mother of two said. ‘Before I had nothing and there was no support, but now I am independent and I am able to create a better life for myself, my siblings and my children.’
Twenty-three-year-old Saschen Naidoo from Stanger, who graduated from Umfolozi FET College with a N3 in Mechanical Engineering said that the hands-on approach and practical work he was exposed to provided more context of the trade that he had studied, which had allowed him to learn and grow.
The third student, Mzwandile Mbatha of Macambini, was employed at Tongaat Hulett’s Amatikulu Mill as a general worker for three years.
After having completed his N3 Engineering studies at Umfolozi College, he was ecstatic to be accepted into the apprenticeship programme.
‘This was a dream come true for me. I finally got something I wanted really badly.
‘With this apprenticeship under my belt, I can now further my studies in the engineering field,’ Mbatha said.
–
