A partnership between consumer goods manufacturer Unilever, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) has been launched to develop young engineering leaders in South Africa.
The partnership is regarded as the first corporate-academic partnership of its kind and it is set to offer collaborative skills development programme that aims to provide promising engineering students with the best work experience environment and a first-class academic qualification from one of the country’s leading tertiary institutions.
Wits engineering students will be offered hands- on experience and access to a highly-regarded Engineering qualification and on the other hand cultivate best practice engineering concepts that are applicable to the industry.
This Public-Private-Academic partnership launched in Johannesburg will enable 30 students to get an opportunity to work at Unilever’s Khanyisa factory in Boksburg.
Unilever Vice President of Human Resources, Antoinette Irvine said the students will form part of the factory operations team for the duration of their year of employment and this will in turn give them practical exposure to the production process and an opportunity to develop their technical and problem solving skills.
According to a research, the low completion rates are largely the result of inadequate funding, poor family or social support, lack of mentorship or exposure to the industry to obtain practical skills and understanding.
The Department of Higher Education and Training recently released statistics which indicate that as few as 15-25 percent of students who enroll in formal tertiary education programs go on to the completion level.
At the University of Witwatersrand, approximately 40 percent of students who enroll to study Mechanical, Industrial or Aeronautical Engineering Degrees go on to complete and obtain this qualification.
Professor Robert Reid, Head of School of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering at Wits said that through the partnership with a leading manufacturing company like Unilever, they will be able to bridge the identified gaps and ensure more work-ready engineers qualify
