Learners from schools across Gauteng gathered at ORT South Africa in Houghton Estate on June 22 for the Young Engineers Movement (YEM) Hackathon open day, a five-day programme aimed at exposing learners to careers in Stem.

Hosted by ORT South Africa in partnership with Hudaco, the hackathon has brought together 55 learners from underserved communities to work together in developing solutions to challenges they face in their communities.

Read more: A once-in-a-lifetime experience at Siemens Energy Hackathon

According to the head of department of Stem and IT Academy Anele Mkungela, the hackathon was introduced to expose engineering and technology careers to Grade 7, 8 and 9 learners.

“The reason why we started this initiative is because of a call we received from the Department of Basic Education in terms of the GET phase, which is the Grade 7, 8 and 9 learners, needing exposure in careers such as engineering and technology.”

Mkungela explained that the initiative aims to help learners understand engineering and technology, while encouraging them to go for Stem subjects, as they could lead to better career opportunities in the future.

Thokozani Mkhwanazi, a Grade 9 learner from Mbongeni Mgududu Secondary School, said his team is developing a prototype intended to help communities with water outages.

Also read: Disadvantaged learners gain skills for 4th Industrial Revolution

“The community often experiences water outages, so my team and I decided to create a prototype that can help the community gain access to water even during municipal water outages.”

He stated that during his time at the hackathon, he hopes to work on his coding skills, learn from others and become a better version of himself through the initiative.

Learners are being guided by mentors with Stem backgrounds throughout the week.

Kopano Buthelezi, one of the mentors, said the hackathon provides a great opportunity for learners who have not yet had exposure to such programmes.

“The kids are a bit shy; they are not used to being in such environments, and for them, this is an exposure,” she said.

Participating schools include Mega Primary School, Mbongeni Mgududu Secondary School, Dulcie September Primary School, Michael Mkwanazi Primary School and Curtis Nkondo School of Specialisation, among others.

Learners will spend the week putting their ideas into action and building their unique prototype ideas, before presenting their solutions to a panel of judges during an exhibition on June 26.

Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!