Construction World October 2017

UWP participated for the 10 th time in CESA’s Job Shadow initiative in July, hosting 177 learners at events around the country. In August 2017 UWP launched ‘Nurture a Girl’, a project that is already bringing fresh perspective to the lives of 62 teenage learners and has the potential to change the lives of many hundreds more. 'Nurture a Girl' started by sponsoring 50 female learners in need of support at selected high schools around South Africa, one of them a special school, for a year. “We are inviting other companies and individuals to come on board and help us expand the programme,” says Nonkululeko Sindane, CEO of UWP Consulting. “Just one girl sponsored is one more opportunity for a better future, one more chance to give a teenager the strength, courage and advice to get a good education and make a difference in the world.” Already this call has been heeded, with 62 girls now involved in the programme thanks to sponsorships received from others and further growth is expected. The beneficiaries are being given structured opportunities to attend workshops and presentations, receive career advice and mentorship, and to learn basic skills over the year. Claudia Picarra, marketing manager at UWP Consulting, points out that ‘Nurture a Girl’ is not just about the direct beneficiaries, but about bringing change within schools and their communities. “As our relationships develop with the girls we will find ways to meet individual needs that may go beyond the scope of the programme. We will also seek opportunities to provide further assistance to the schools that will benefit all learners. “This is not just a UWP programme. The more we can involve other businesses and professionals across the spectrum, the more we can add value and change lives.” UWP Consulting has participated in CESA’s Job Shadow initiative every year since inception 10 years ago, giving many secondary school learners around South Africa a taste of engineering as a career. This year UWP HYPE (Helping Young Professionals Excel), a network of employees younger than 35, invited learners from 13 schools at its offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, East London, Mthatha and Cape Town. Taking a lead in youth development Consulting engineering firm UWP Consulting has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of high school learners in recent years through mentoring programmes that help them make sound choices in the transition from school into adulthood.

The learners became engineers for a day, following the activities of professionals in the office and on site, and participating in engineering challenges such as bridge and reservoir construction. UWP won first place in CESA’s 2017 Job Shadow poster competition for the second time. “If we can ignite a passion for engineering in just a few young minds, we will have succeeded in our aim,” says Sindane. In other ongoing initiatives, UWP provides practical training opportunities for tertiary students towards obtaining their qualifications in civil engineering and other relevant skills. A bursary fund assists limited numbers of qualifying civil engineering students to complete their studies at universities and technikons.  Learners test their water reservoir as part of the Job Shadow initiative at UWP’s head office in Bryanston.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD OCTOBER 2017