ASPIRING YOUNG ENGINEERS

ASPIRING YOUNG ENGINEERS

D3 concluded yet another successful Career Day Saturday 19 October at the Oosrand Secondary High School, in Reiger Park, Boksburg. The topic for this event centred on Technology and Engineering.

A number of industry leaders and professionals shared their stories with aspiring young engineers.

The metal casting industry sometimes referred to as the foundry industry is one of the oldest crafts known to mankind with the earliest casting having been made more than five and a half thousand years ago.

John Davies, CEO, SA Institute of Foundry Men spoke of his own career path and journey and highlighted the many career opportunities within the foundry sector. The foundry sector is struggling to attract “young blood” leaving the industry with a critical skills shortage. Mr Davis through his own career and position at the Foundry Institute is passionate about creating opportunities that will attract and retain learners to the foundry sector. With this he informed the students of the upcoming open day at the newly launched Gauteng Foundry Training Centre which is Gauteng’s first foundry training centre hosted at the Ekurhuleni East Campus in Kwa Thema, Springs. This training centre will create a hub for foundry-related skills training and technology transfer. The first intake of apprentices will begin their training in January 2014.

Ivor Becks, CEO of HopSol SA (Pty) Ltd, started his career with Eskom Generation as an Apprentice Instrument Technician. He qualified 1984, then worked for Eskom for about six years, when he left he was acting head of department and an Engineers Assistant.  From there he worked as a CNC technician and progressed into selling the equipment, which he had been servicing. He was promoted to a regional sales manager and then a national sales manager and is now the CEO of HopSol SA (Pty) Ltd, a company involved in the solar industry, providing renewable energy through photovoltaic power plants.

Shavhani Mutshutshu graduated from Wits University with B.Sc. Eng and M. Eng (Metallurgy & Materials: Physical Metallurgy Option). He also holds an International Welding Engineering Diploma issued through the IIW ANB South African Institute of Welding (SAIW). He is member of the SAIW and currently works for Alstom as a Project Quality Manager on Eskom Kusile Project in Ogies. He has vast experience in Foundries, Forgings, Welding and Fabrication, quality control and assurance.

Corne Engelbrecht started his career at Transnet Freight Rail, back then known as Spoornet with a bursary opportunity.  He worked with PRASA and for the last 6 years has been an engineer in the maintenance of the Gautrain with Bombardier.

“The opportunity for professionals to share their stories, in a way provides insight and hopefully sparks an interest so that these learners, who are about to embark on their own journey or start choosing their subjects, start thinking about their future – this in a way is mentorship,” says Lara Slogrove, MD, D3.

One of the key pillars of D3 is to be able to impact the learners from grade 9, open their eyes to the potential of life and then guide them through being young adults, which forms part of the actual D3 annual programme.

Our hope is that Corporations participate by providing the opportunity to learners to attend the D3 annual programme, ultimately resulting in these learners succeeding to the point where they are accessing the bursaries offered by the corporate participants and then being able to work for the corporate participant as a qualified and capable employee.

D3 will be hosting a final Career Day for 2013 on 16 November where the exciting career path of Languages and Law will be explored.

Should you wish to become a corporate participant please contact Lara at lara@d-3.co.za