Three local students are one step closer to achieving their dream after recently graduating from Tongaat Hulett sponsored apprenticeship programme.
Zanele Nzuza, Tongaat Hulett’s human resources officer at Amatikulu Mill said their apprenticeships are offered in electrical trade, boiler making, platter welders, welders, mechanical diesel and other trades.
“Once the students have completed their apprenticeship they are employed by Tongaat Hulett as junior artisans,” said Nzuza.
Stanger’s Saschen Naidoo, Zanele Ntuli and Mzwandile Mbatha from Mandeni needed an N3 engineering qualification to be eligible for the four year programme, which started in 2009.
Their apprenticeship journey was divided into four phases with each consisting of 12 weeks of training at the Shukela Training Centre in Mount Edgecombe and 25 weeks of factory training at Tongaat Hulett’s sugar mills.
For Ntuli the apprenticeship came at a critical time in her life, when the foster grant she and her siblings had been reliant on was discontinued. As the eldest of five orphaned children, the responsibility to be the breadwinner fell on her shoulders.
“The apprenticeship changed my life tremendously. Before I had nothing and there was no support but now I am able to create a better life for myself and my family,” said the mother of two.
Naidoo said the hands-on approach and practical work he was exposed to provided more context of mechanical engineering.
Mbatha, who was previously employed at Amatikulu Mill as a general worker for three years after having completed his studies, was ecstatic to be accepted into the programme.
“This was a dream come true for me. I finally got something I wanted really badly. With this apprenticeship under my belt, I can now further my studies in the engineering field,” said Mbatha.
