Creating awareness and interest around critical subjects related to scarce skills in the country, is critical to the eThekwini Municipality. In partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and the Willowton Group it recently launched the ‘Life of an Engineer’ video and donated science kits worth R500 000 to 20 high schools in the uMlazi region.

The country is facing a skills shortage in career fields relating to science, technology, engineering and maths. As part of the initiatives aimed at addressing this challenge, the Municipality produced a video to be viewed by learners that demonstrate the work of an engineer, the different types of engineering career fields and higher education institutions which offer engineering courses.

Chairperson of the Finance and Procurement Committee, Cllr Fawzia Peer, who represented the Mayor of eThekwini Cllr James Nxumalo, said the nation was grappling with social challenges and relevant resources were needed to overcome them.

“It is pleasing to see a public-private partnership in action, as private companies work together with government to fight these challenges. The science kits donated to schools will go a long way in improving education in our country,” she said.

Peer said if the country wanted to unlock jobs, the shortage of engineers needed to be addressed. “Therefore, parents must be encouraged to inspire their children to take up these critical subjects at a young school-going age,” she said.

The Municipality will regularly monitor if the science kits are being used by the learners.

The Municipality’s Human Resources Unit Deputy Head, Gideon Vundla said the project will educate the learners on the type of work and projects that engineers get involved in. “Through watching the video of young engineers, we hope that the learners will be encouraged to study engineering as well,” he said.

CEO of the Willowton Group, Razak Moosa, emphasised that learners needed to be exposed to critical subjects from a young age. “The objective of the science kits is to expose learners to maths and science with the hope that they take engineering as a career. Going forward, South Africa will have leaders in maths and science,” he said.

Other stakeholders involved in the project include the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edutrade and the New Africa Education Foundation.