Forty- five unemployed engineering graduates from the Eastern Cape have an opportunity to be part of a year-long training programme, which will enable them to join car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz SA (MBSA), Volkswagen SA and General Motors.
The programme is the brainchild of the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC EC).
AIDC EC general manager Hoosain Mohamed said the three-year-old programme has kick-started the careers of about 90 engineers in the province since its inception in 2013.
“The programme has a duration of 12 months, with the first two months dedicated to training the graduates in-house on a number of technical programmes that are used by leaders in the automotive industry.
“ the rest of the 10 months, the graduates will be hosted by the selected host companies around the province,” Mohamed said.
The programme is funded by the provincial treasury to ensure the graduates receive a monthly stipend for the duration of the programme.
A 25-year-old quality technician at Selago Industries in East London, Sibulele Billy, said the programme gave him an opportunity to expand his knowledge beyond the classroom.
“The programme is a great initiative, especially to fresh-out-of-varsity professionals as it builds one’s confidence in one’s abilities as a professional.
“All the systems I got trained on are the systems that I am currently using in the industry,” Billy said.
Billy is currently pursuing his BTech degree in mechanical engineering at Walter Sisulu University.
Mohamed said AIDC EC has already received 12 companies willing to host the graduates for the experiential learning component.
EC programme boosts unemployed engineers
The programme is the brainchild of the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC EC).
AIDC EC general manager Hoosain Mohamed said the three-year-old programme has kick-started the careers of about 90 engineers in the province since its inception in 2013.
“The programme has a duration of 12 months, with the first two months dedicated to training the graduates in-house on a number of technical programmes that are used by leaders in the automotive industry.
“ the rest of the 10 months, the graduates will be hosted by the selected host companies around the province,” Mohamed said.
The programme is funded by the provincial treasury to ensure the graduates receive a monthly stipend for the duration of the programme.
A 25-year-old quality technician at Selago Industries in East London, Sibulele Billy, said the programme gave him an opportunity to expand his knowledge beyond the classroom.
“The programme is a great initiative, especially to fresh-out-of-varsity professionals as it builds one’s confidence in one’s abilities as a professional.
“All the systems I got trained on are the systems that I am currently using in the industry,” Billy said.
Billy is currently pursuing his BTech degree in mechanical engineering at Walter Sisulu University.
Mohamed said AIDC EC has already received 12 companies willing to host the graduates for the experiential learning component.
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