Today, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr Mduduzi Manana MP, led a selected group of female learners from local schools, to the SASOL Plant in Secunda to promote the Women in Scarce Skills programme.
It will be remembered that before the hard earned democratic dispensation in 1994, although it was wrong, but it was universally acceptable in this country that certain groups of people were viewed as inferior and could not pursue certain careers in occupations which were attributed to belong to other superior population groups. Such careers included, among other things, study fields in the petrochemical, mining, maritime, aviation and engineering careers. A woman was erroneously perceived as incapable of occupying these career fields for self-proclaimed special people.
The Women in Scarce Skills programme aims to attract young female learners from townships and rural communities to fields that were previously reserved for male and white counterparts.
Grade 11 and 12 female learners from the following township schools of Embalenhle were in attendance:
- KI Thwala Secondary School
- Kiriyatswane Secondary School
- Kusasalethu Comprehensive School
- Sizwakele Secondary School
- Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School
The Women in Scarce Skills Programme is an advocacy campaign championed by the Deputy Minister to respond to the imperatives of transformation as outlined in the White Paper on Post School Education and Training. It is aimed at encouraging female learners to take up careers in fields previously dominated by males. This campaign exposesfemale learners to career choices in Petrochemicals, Mining, Maritime, Aviation as well as Engineering, through visits to industries and workplaces.
The Deputy Minister, SASOL Vice Presidents - Mr Nzama Baloyi and Ms Kgomotso Molobye, and the CHIETA CEO Ms Ayesha Itzkin toured SASOL operations together with female learners from schools who were afforded an opportunity to observe SASOL female engineers and technicians demonstrating and sharing their experiences on their chosen careers.
The Deputy Minister emphasised that campaigns like this one will target townships and rural high schools to assist in equipping young female learners with relevant information that will allow them to confront the male dominated workplace. He further encouraged the female learners to apply to various Post- School Education and Training (PSET) institutions on time to ensure that they are guaranteed entry in to their intended career choices. He urged them to disregard the socio-economic conditions and be the change that society needs. He informed them about available funding methods for deserving students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and learnerships through the Sector Education and Training Authorities, like the CHIETA who coordinated the visit.
‘Stakeholders, including employers just like SASOL should join hands and play their role to support and implement transformational imperatives. On the other hand, the youth must claim their position to make better use of opportunities presented to them. Young ladies, your future is in your hands, nurture it’, said Manana.
SASOL Female employees shared valuable and informative knowledge about their day to day work and motivated the prospective engineers and scientists to excel in their studies and challenge their male counterparts.
‘This was an exciting opportunity for us as learners to have been given a chance to interact with female engineers, SASOL Executives, Chemical Industry Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) CEO, and the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training. I will certainly consider taking the petrochemical career path. The funding opportunities shared today will assist many of us from the disadvantaged communities’, said Pretty Letsoalo, a learner from Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School.
For Interviews and media enquires:
Calvin Nkosi
Cell: 076 810 8000
E-mail: Nkosi.C@dhet.gov.za
Busiswa Nongogo
Cell: 061 351 2695
E-mail: Nongogo.B@dhet.gov.za
Sibusiso R Mlangeni
Cell: 074 639 7477 / 073 839 2195
E-mail: Mlangeni.SR@dhet.gov.za
