WITH the challenges of drastic skills shortages in South Africa, it is critical that the business sector escalates its involvement in education and skills development.
That’s according to Mike Gibbon, CEO, Bosch Holdings, who added that this was the motivation behind the establishment of Bosch Ulwazi, which promotes the advancement of engineering skills by providing solutions for engineer development and technical training, as well as supplier/enterprise and socio-economic development.
“Bosch Ulwazi’s Engineer-in-Training (EIT) programme has been developed to provide opportunities for candidates to enhance their practical engineering competency, to meet the Engineering Council of South Africa’s (ECSA’s) requirements for professional registration, over a period of three years from graduation,” Gibbon said.
“Although this programme focuses on the development of graduate engineers and project managers, the course content can be re-modelled for graduates in other disciplines, including human resources, quantity surveyors and financial graduates.”
The EIT programme currently covers six phases – orientation, site exposure, design, project management, knowledge of other disciplines and applicable legislation.
Since the introduction of the EIT programme in 2010, graduates have worked on group projects in South Africa, Brazil, India, Barbados, Tanzania, Swaziland, China, Oman and Kenya.
On completion of the EIT programme, candidates will have a comprehensive portfolio of evidence that assists their submission for ECSA professional status. To date, 15 graduates have successfully registered as professional technicians, technologists and engineers. Bosch Ulwazi has also assisted 10 senior engineers within the Group, to complete their registrations, as mature applicants, with ECSA for professional status.
A highlight of the EIT programme is the annual conference, which provides a platform for the EITs to showcase the skills and knowledge they have gained, to colleagues, mentors, management and clients. According to Balan Govender, managing director, Bosch Ulwazi, the 2018 EITs delivered presentations of an exceptionally high standard at this year’s event.
The prize went to Sibusisiwe Nxumalo for her submission, entitled “Wastewater Simplified”.