Learners carve path in engineering through expert guidance
It was a school outing like no other when learners from local schools were given a deeper insight into a career in engineering recently. A panel of academics from UKZN shed the nitty gritty of the faculty.
HOSTED by the Iqraa Trust in partnership with the UKZN School of Engineering, the Career Guidance Training Programme left the eager learners with a deeper knowledge of the faculty and the career pathways.
The programme was for learners, principals and teachers from Umbilo Secondary School, Chesterville Secondary School, Overport Secondary and Durban Girls Secondary School.
It included a presentation by the lecturers from the School of Engineering about the various disciplines in engineering, career prospects, and bursary opportunities. In his opening speech Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, the founder of Iqraa Trust Knowledge Centre, talked about the importance of engineering in all aspects of life and how important it is for the future of South Africa and the young learners.
There were presentations about the various branches of engineering by Prof Mohamed Mostafa – Introduction to the School of Engineering and Civil Engineering; Dr Sulaiman Patel – Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering; Prof Jean Pitot – Mechanical Engineering; Dr Madison M Lasich – Chemical Engineering; Dr Bridget Horner – Discipline of Architecture; Dr Ntlibi Matete – Civil Engineering; and Evaristo Musonda – Land Surveying Presentation.
Across their presentations, one common thread was the significance of maths and science as school subjects. Additionally, future engineers are meant to display strong personal qualities like attention to detail, being a team player and problem-solving skills.
The learners expressed a genuine interest in the various engineering disciplines, asked many technical questions, and took full advantage of the chance to speak one-on-one with the presenters from UKZN to better understand admission requirements and application deadlines.
Dr Baker thanked the delegation from the School of Engineering for their excellent presentation, the project co-ordinator Leanne Naicker, and all Iqraa staff.
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