The corporate social responsibility arm of consulting engineering firm holding company Bosch Holdings, Bosch Ulwazi has offered 200 unemployed young people in Peddie, in the Eastern Cape, jobs focusing on construction at one of its projects.

This programme is a partnership between the Local Government Sector Education Training Authority (LGSETA) as the funder, the local municipality as the employer and Bosch Ulwazi as the training provider.

Bosch Ulwazi MD Balan Govender explains that the 12-month learnership in construction, is a combination of classroom-based training, integrated with construction-related simulations, which culminates in a National Qualifications Framework-registered qualification.

“The work-based learning curriculum will prepare learners for work placements on construction sites within the local municipality of Ngqushwa,” says Govender.

He adds that, to date, 50 learners have completed the programme and are waiting for final moderation from LGSETA. A further 150 learners are in the third month of the road construction and supervision programme.

“Our primary aim is to address the gap between the current education and training provided and the growing needs of the labour market. We believe education is central to skills upliftment in South Africa and we are proud to support the development of many deserving learners who are unable to further their education because of financial restraints,” highlights Govender.

To facilitate the running of a cost-effective training programme in the remote town of Peddie, facilitators and mentors from Bosch Ulwazi have relocated to temporarily reside among the community for the duration of the learnership programme.

Bosch Ulwazi’s training services, which are offered around the country, are designed to develop the skills of unemployed youth. Accredited programmes such as these assist young South Africans to find employment and ultimately empower communities into small enterprise development.

Last month, Bosch Holdings – the holding company for both Bosch Projects and Bosch Ulwazi – was named a runner-up in the category of Nation-builder at the 2019 Absa Business Day Supplier Development Awards.

Bosch Holdings was listed as one of 14 finalists selected from over 400 entrants – from private and public sector enterprises – which showcased supplier development initiatives and their positive impact in healthcare, mining, manufacturing and the built environment.

“We are very proud of this prestigious award, which acknowledges successful supplier development programmes that are making a lasting impact on the local economy,” says Govender.

The Nation-builder Award recognises initiatives that are achieving exceptional results in supporting and growing non-traditional suppliers. These initiatives involve youth, black women and those in rural areas or areas with few alternative opportunities, with scarce skills not readily available in previously disadvantaged communities of South Africa being bought to bear.

The company provides solutions for engineer development and technical training, as well as supplier/enterprise and socioeconomic development. “Bosch Holdings has taken critical steps to decrease the drastic skills shortages in our country, through the establishment of Bosch Ulwazi, which facilitates the advancement of engineering skills,” says Govender.

Bosch Ulwazi, which marks its tenth anniversary this year, mentor’s engineers and project managers to achieve professional registration with regulatory bodies. The company provides a range of technical skills solutions to public and corporate client organisations that employ graduate engineers, technologists and project managers, who are candidates for professional registration.

Professional registration is a key milestone that prepares young graduates for leadership, or for forming their own enterprise.