“According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), more than 10% of graduates aged 25-34 years could not find a job, despite their education, in the first quarter of last year. Our youth, who account for 63.5% of unemployed persons, need opportunities for greater development and employability to become a pool of talent for the national work force.
“Through training programmes, bursaries, learnerships, internships as well as partnerships with universities, Total South Africa contributes to youth development and employability as they are taken on a journey of education and workplace experience.”
Bursaries that empower
As an advocate for quality education, the company annually awards up to 10 bursaries to youth who require financial assistance for full-time tuition at a Further Education and Training (FET) college or university in order to obtain a formal qualification. The intention being to provide growth opportunities to develop talent that feeds into its internship programme and Young Talent Graduate Programme. These bursaries are awarded to previously disadvantaged individuals on merit, provided they have maintained an average grade of more than 65% in all subjects.
To further create opportunities by means of bursaries, Total South Africa partners with universities to maximise results. The company has since 2010 been in partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) as well as the University of Namibia where selected students receive full scholarships for tuition and textbook costs.
This provide students as well as the University staff members with the opportunity to participate in conferences, symposia and international meetings regarding the oil and gas technology industry. They are enabled to collaborate in the development and delivery of conferences relating to the fields of oil and gas exploration techniques. The agreement also covers funding for the Masters programme in petroleum engineering at both universities.
On the job training
Total South Africa also offers a 12-month workplace internship programme for unemployed learners who have concluded their studies successfully in a defined scarce and/or critical skill and who need workplace exposure. The programme integrates academic preparation with professional challenges where graduates are exposed to different teams and projects, and a diverse way of thinking. Internships are offered across various areas of business, both in specialised engineering and the broader fields of commerce.
As an extension to the internship programme, the company offers five South African graduates an experience to work in a global environment - in both Africa and Paris - for a period of one year to gain international exposure in their chosen field.
Sachet adds, “These are a few of the initiatives that contribute towards the up-skilling and education of the country’s youth and addressing the South Africa’s skills shortage in key economic sectors and on the rest of the continent.
“This Workers’ Day Total South Africa not only celebrates our existing workforce, but also the talent of our youth, the future of our country and our company. We aim to create opportunities and open doors for those who are passionate about moving South Africa forward.”
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