Supporting Unemployed Engineering and Science Graduates in Cape Town

The city of Cape Town has taken the initiative to assist unemployed engineering and science graduates in registering with professional bodies and finding employment. This effort is being made through the Infrastructure Skills Development Grant (ISDG) program, which aims to build a pool of resources within the city.

Graduates Completing ISDG Program

Currently, 28 graduates are completing the ISDG program, and they are on their way to being registered with their respective professional bodies. The National Treasury hosted an ISDG working session at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on the 13th of July 2023, which the graduates recently attended. The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys, also participated in the event and addressed the group of graduates and mentors. The session’s objective was to familiarize graduates with the Engineering Council of South Africa‘s (ECSA) new registration process and system.

Success Stories

Several ISDG graduates are now permanent employees within various departments of the City of Cape Town. For example, Civil Engineer Mogamat Basadien, 33, from Grassy Park, now works in the City’s Transport Infrastructure Implementation Department. Rahima Noordien, 29, another Civil Engineer from Grassy Park, provides her expertise to the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate, as do Wandisile Kubayi, 26, from Bellville and Pollen Dyantyi, 25, from Delft. All these graduates have completed the ISDG program before securing permanent positions, and they continue to pursue registration with the ECSA.

ISDG Program Goals

The ISDG program aims to develop and train unemployed graduates, helping them register with their respective statutory councils. It focuses on South African citizens below 35 years of age living in the City of Cape Town. Alderman Theresa Uys highlights the importance of this program, stating that it imparts scarce skills and knowledge that prove beneficial to many graduates. She further highlights that the program serves as an excellent example of the city’s commitment to providing opportunities to young professionals and supporting their entry into the job market.

ISDG Program Expansion

The ISDG program is an expansion of an existing internal Graduate Internship Program, and the City’s Human Resources Department has structures in place to support it. Many of these graduates have secured permanent positions within various branches of the city. Over the past financial year, the program has also seen the successful registration of two of the city’s Natural Science graduates, Pateka Menzi, 25, and Dolly September, 31, with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP). The mentoring and practical experience obtained through the ISDG program guided these two graduates to registration and provided them with the necessary experience to secure permanent job opportunities within the City’s Scientific Services branch in the Water and Sanitation Directorate.

Eligibility

The ISDG prepares engineering and science graduates for exposure in various fields, ensuring they are registered or eligible for registration as professional natural scientists, engineers, technologists, or technicians. Applicants are required to have a BSc Eng/BSc Hons/ MTech/ MSc/ PhD/ BTech/M.Eng qualification in disciplines such as Civil, Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical or Industrial Engineering, Planning, Environmental Science, Materials Science, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Virology, Chemical Science, Chemistry, Atmospheric Science, Hydrogeology, Geochemistry, or Hydrology.

Opportunities

The City will continue to advertise these opportunities on its e-recruitment website and job portals such as CareerJunction, LinkedIn, Bizcommunity, Careers24, and Pnet to help more unemployed graduates find their footing in the professional world.