Local non-profit organisation Future Me! held its first tour to the Transnet Ports Authority on September 22 to introduce pupils from Uviwe High School to careers in the marine and engineering sector.
Future Me!, funded by the Buffalo City department of basic education, works with five schools in under-resourced areas.
The NPO introduces pupils to sectors in which professionals are in high demand, guiding and mentoring them on what subject choices are necessary in Grade 10 to study further for certain careers.
The NPO’s goal is to mentor and guide pupils to seek careers in highly critical industries such as finance, IT, business, management, agriculture, environmental management, design and media.
During their visit, the Uviwe Grade 9 pupils were able to learn about the marine industry and meet with professionals in the sector with interesting careers that they may not have been aware of, such as vessel traffic controllers, tug masters and marine technical managers.
The NPO’s founder, Dr Siphokazi Konyana, said the pupils met professionals who spoke of their experiences sailing ships from Australia and training on vessels in Cameroon and Spain.
Konyana said many of them had also come from humble beginnings like the pupils but had worked hard to achieve their goals.
Ndumiso Danxa, the Social Behaviour Change Agent (SBCA) at Uviwe High said: “The programme was a success because it fulfilled all our expectations as the school. Some of the learners were not sure why Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects are important, even though some of them excel in these subjects.
“They were not motivated enough to carry through with them because they demand time and sacrifice.
“After this visit, they were all motivated to study and excel even more in their studies because they saw the importance of studying engineering by talking with a practicing engineer at his work place.”
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