Engen has launched a new skills development and learnership programme aimed at boosting the job prospects for youth and unemployed South Durban Basin (SDB) community members.

The launch of the Engen Global Citizen Development Programme (EGCDP) took place at the Engen Refinery in Wentworth on Thursday, 6 April.

Engen’s head of Transformation and Stakeholder Engagement, Dr James Nyawera says Engen is extremely excited to launch the EGCDP, which will provide skills development and competencies for 100 people.

“The EGCDP, in partnership with the Community-Engen Joint Committee, is set to boost future job prospects for residents from the Umlazi, Wentworth, Lamontville and Merebank areas, by providing them with artisan training, learnership opportunities, accredited qualifications and Adult Based Education and Training (ABET),” comments Nyawera.

Adds Engen Skills Development Manager, Mmalenyalo Galane: “We are passionate about upskilling and empowering the youth and unemployed, and EGCDP provides a literal springboard towards a brighter future by teaching skills that can be used throughout people’s lives either as employees or as entrepreneurs.”

According to Galane, ABET is designed for adults and youth who do not meet the Grade 12 requirement but would like to venture into the various learning programmes on offer.

“ABET offers opportunities to those who have always wanted to complete their Grades 10, 11 and 12 certificate but may not have had the financial means to do so,” she explains.

Through the Engen programme, 50 ABET beneficiaries will have the opportunity to obtain their high school grade certificate as well as move onto post matric programmes.

The artisan skills programme, which runs over 36 months, will empower 21 future artisans who have already passed matric maths and science, with qualifications as electricians, mechanical fitters, and instrument mechanics.

Boosting youth unemployment, 29 beneficiaries with grade 11 or 12 certificates are set to embark on various learnerships, which run over 18 months and promise to provide invaluable work experience.

As a company, Engen champions nine of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 4 – Quality Education, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and training and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; and SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, which aims to promote inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

Amongst a multitude of other targeted social investments in South Durban, the well-known Engen Computer School, which frequently boasts a waiting list, upskills unemployed school-leavers and unemployed community members who reside in the area.

The Engen Computer School has been transforming lives in South Durban for 13 years and has to date capped 2 504 graduates who reside in South Durban and surrounds.

Engen is also a long-time supporter of education in Durban through its Engen Maths and Science Schools (EMSS), which seek to address South Africa's key skills shortages in the engineering and technical fields, thereby contributing to the economic growth and transformation of the country.

The long-running supplementary education programme for underprivileged Grade 10-12 learners, recently announced a record breaking 96.7% pass rate for the 2022 matric class, of which 72% achieved bachelor passes.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the EMSS programme offers additional Maths, Science and English tuition every Saturday to under-privileged learners from grades 10-12 at Fairvale High School, Ganges High School, Hillview High School and Umlazi Commercial High School.

Operating for over 30 years, the EMSSs measure of success is an annual matric class that consistently surpasses the national average of successful learners and learners who matriculate with a bachelor’s pass.

“We wish all EGCDP beneficiaries the best of luck as they embark on this new chapter of their lives. It is Engen’s ultimate reward to empower and upskill members of the community to pursue stimulating careers that won’t only benefit them personally, but also their families and the broader economy of South Africa,” concludes Nyawera.