Construction World July 2021

L ethabo Matabane, also a SAICE young member, whose academic and extra curricula activities, as well as her personality, made her the successful recipient of the Egis bursary programme. The programme is structured around two main components: first, monetary support covering full tuition fees, the cost of her student accommodation (university residence) and textbooks, as well as second, a bespoke mentorship programme centered around her individual needs. The 20-year-old Matabane is currently studying her second year of civil engineering at the University of Johannesburg. She is appreciative of the opportunity provided to her by Egis, who she states, together with SAICE, continue to provide the additional tools to help navigate through the challenges and opportunities faced by students. “The bursary has given me the opportunity to study further, which would have not been possible otherwise. I now have the opportunity to change my future and the future of so many others through engineering. ‘The mentorship programme with Egis enables me to grow more confident about my career choice and how to achieve the goals I have set for myself, and through SAICE, there are opportunities to access the corporate world by networking with learned and experienced engineers and keeping abreast of exciting new developments and projects.” Laurent Bouchacourt, CEO at Egis Operation South Africa, spoke volumes about why Matabane was the successful candidate, and explained why partnerships in South Africa’s private sector is critical to help students, such as Matabane, to access opportunities and build a brighter and better future. He described the partnership with SAICE: “It’s important to align Egis with a brand – SAICE – that we already have an established partnership with, and which encompasses the same vision and values with regards to education. The bursary is just one part of the journey and is built further to help with the transition between the academic and the corporate world. We value the work SAICE does in identifying young talent at an early stage and helping those candidates embrace opportunities.” Both SAICE and Egis strongly advocate for striving for excellence and embracing education as a tool to improve society for a better future for all. “In South Africa, the policies around redress and ensuring that the intellectual capital of our country, are fully realized at present, but the process needs to be grown and encouraged and we must all do our part to invest in a better tomorrow for all through education,” explains Bouchacourt. He adds that the country’s private sector must continue to drive partnerships that enhance the education of our young people, which he believes will go a long way in developing South Africa’s future leaders. Adding that such partnerships must extend beyond just tuition fees and financial provisions to include a holistic vision that includes mentoring, training, and development. SAICE CEO Vishaal Lutchman states that SAICE also remains committed to playing an active and instrumental role in the development of graduates and young professionals, as well as in student initiatives across South Africa, with the aim to provide civil engineering students with opportunities and keeping them up to date with what is happening in industry.  The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) and Egis Operation South Africa, an international group in the construction engineering and mobility services sectors, have successfully partnered to drive their vision of prioritising education, skills, and development through the successful awarding of a bursary in civil engineering. PARTNERSHIP YIELDS BURSARY FOR YOUNG SAICE MEMBER

9 CONSTRUCTION WORLD JULY 2021