The Minister of Science and Technology, Ms Naledi Pandor will tomorrow, Thursday, 25 June 2009 at 19h30 deliver the key note address at the Annual Gala Dinner for the South African Women in Engineering (SAWomEng), at the Pavillion Room, BMW Pavillion, V&A Waterfront, in Cape Town.
SAWomEng is a non-profit, student-run organisation, founded in 2005 by two University of Cape Town third year Civil Engineering students, Mabohlale Mampuru and Naadiya Moosajee.
They envisioned a platform through which young women in engineering would obtain guidance and mentorship opportunities.
SAWomEng’s mission is to act as ananchor and support base for young female students of all backgrounds and engineering disciplines.
It seeks to address the changing needs of the South African nation while identifying the brightest female minds in engineering and providing them with the crucial soft skills necessary to succeed in the Engineering Industry.
SAWomEng has five core pillars which are:
* Igniting the Engineering Flame
We aim to remind students about the exciting, innovative, groundbreaking work that is being done in the engineering industry. This is necessary to prevent the migration of students from engineering into other industries. Currently, there is a lack of awareness amongst students, about the industry and industry-related issues, such as current projects and career opportunities. As a result, engineering seems like a dull and non-lucrative industry. We believe that by creating an opportunity for companies to market themselves and inviting industry leaders to share their experiences, we are able to ‘reignite the flame’. Students can get excited about their choice of study, and have a window into their field of engineering.
* Mentorship
Being one of the minorities in the engineering industry, female students often lack support. Thus we believe that it is absolutely crucial that links are fostered between practicing engineers in industry and aspiring engineering students. This process will in turn facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills.
* To Incubate the Engineering Mind
We aim to be a safe haven for the brightest female minds in engineering. Our main aim is to showcase not only the technical brilliance but also the refreshing perspectives these young minds bring to the engineering industry. A technical project, therefore, forms part of the Annual National Conference. The project, which differs yearly, sees the students tackling a topical and relevant engineering problem in a multi-disciplinary fashion.
* Meeting of the minds between old and new engineers
Young engineers contribute in great numbers to the exodus of engineers from the engineering industry. We feel that the Engineering Industry is currently out-of-sync with the needs and priorities of young female students. It is therefore necessary to bridge the gap between old and young engineers. The SAWomEng National Conference assists female engineering students engage with stakeholders in a safe, relaxed and social environment so as to promote dialogue and networking.
* Embracing the multi-faceted nature of female engineers
The engineering woman can be likened to a multi-faceted diamond. We, as SAWomEng, aim to nurture the different facets of women most neglected by the industry, which is their femininity
Issued by: Ministry of Science of Technology
24 June 2009
