Bigen Africa, a leading infrastructure development company, spent a day bringing engineering principles to life for a number of high school learners on its Job Shadow Day, an initiative of Consulting Engineers of South Africa launched seven years ago.
“Job shadowing at Bigen Africa goes beyond putting the company creed of ‘doing good while doing business’ into action,” says Ashnee Kara, Human Capital Training and Development Manager. “When 24 Grade 11 learners from Pretoria Girls, Willow Ridge and the Glen high schools visited the company’s Pretoria office on 28 July, they were given a realistic picture of the engineering profession as well as a foretaste of how to creatively design infrastructure.”
Exciting programme
First on the programme was a delicious breakfast, during which members of Bigen Africa’s Young Professionals Forum shared their own insights in a presentation, urging the learners to “ask, imagine, plan, create and improve” to be successful as engineers, thereby hoping to instil a passion for the profession in the young minds.
This was followed by an exciting practical challenge, dreamed up by Bigen Africa’s veteran engineers, to design infrastructure for the presidential residence Nkandla.
Divided into six groups, the learners were briefed on the project and, although the “building materials” supplied – marshmallows, jelly tots, toothpicks, tubing, coffee filters, light bulbs, batteries and electric wire – certainly provided an element of fun, the learners were definitely thrilled to innovatively meet the challenge.
The engineering puzzle included sourcing water from the Tugela River; pumping it to a firepool next door to Nkandla; constructing a water tower from which supply can flow downwards to the residence, a sewerage treatment facility and a bridge; and ensuring backup power during load shedding.
After brainstorming and putting their ideas on paper, the teams came up with such focused and insightful designs that the judges – a number of Bigen Africa’s senior managers and engineers – were pleasantly surprised.
“It was exceptionally difficult to select just one winning team as all the learners displayed high levels of understanding and attention to detail,” says Kara. “We were pleased with the inventiveness and practicality applied to the challenge.”
Awaken engineering talent
After an interesting and entertaining Job Shadow Day, the Bigen Africa team was confident that they had done their best to inspire the learners and awaken any engineering talent which may have been slumbering within their 24 young guests. For the learners, the visit provided valuable career insights to help them along on their important journey of self-discovery.
Bigen Africa, with its vision of improving the quality of life of all through the development of sustainable infrastructure solutions, provides engineering, management consulting, development financing and advisory services on cost-effective, sustainable infrastructure projects in several African countries. The company integrates the entire value chain in an infrastructure development process through in-house capabilities and strategic partnerships – from feasibility studies through project preparation, management and implementation to development finance and ongoing asset management.
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