Woodfibre products manufacturer Sappi has launched a campaign to encourage skilled engineers and production specialists to join its growing team and its endeavours of pursuing a circular economy.

Besides a number of current vacancies in various fields, Sappi is also building up a database of talent for appointments into the future.

In addition, Sappi has also created the Engineer in Training programme to inspire and train young graduates from different academic streams, such as BSc electrical engineering, BSc chemical engineering and BSc mechanical engineering.

Graduates who enrol in the programme are extensively coached by expert mentors and receive technical and mill-specific training for a period of about two years. During this time, care is taken to rotate the roles and functions of participants to enable them the full spectrum of what the engineering side of the business has to offer.

Sappi Southern Africa human resource operations GM James Manana says Sappi is always on the lookout for technical skills that will help achieve the goal of building a “thriving world” by unlocking the power of renewable resources, such as that obtained from wood.

“In a world where we are all looking for natural, sustainable alternatives to those that are depleting our planet’s resources, it is both challenging, but also hugely rewarding for the innovative forward-thinking individuals that work in this environment, to succeed in extracting the wonders of nature’s own engineering and putting it to use in the real world,” he says.

With its mills situated in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, Sappi’s employees have the “best of both worlds” by being able to work for a global company focussed on sustainability and also being able to “savour some of the best lifestyle opportunities” South Africa has to offer, Sappi says in a statement.

Sappi says it places a high premium on technical innovation, providing a fertile platform for innovative and collaborative teamwork. This is acknowledged each year in the company’s Technical Innovation Awards (TIA), which rewards innovation, encourages partnerships that enhance Sappi’s product offerings, accelerates its advancement in its journey towards sustainability and contributes to the company’s bottom line by improving its productivity and efficiency.

“For engineers and technical people that love challenges and the opportunity to innovate and use their problem-solving skills, the Sappi environment encourages this through global awards like these, which are now in their twenty-second year,” says Manana.

Click here to make an engineering application, or click here to make a production application.