New Age Engineering Solutions was honoured to host Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, during her site visit to our training workshop in Evander, Mpumalanga. In attendance were Ms Mpho Mookapele, CEO of the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA); Ms Gaopaleloe Mothoagae, Vice President for Social Investment and Community Affairs at Sasol; and Mr Christopher Kabosha, Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs and Marketing at Sasol. Representing New Age were Mr Joseph Zinyana, Chairman of New Age and CGZAH, and Mr Lionel Prinsloo, Acting CEO.
The visit served as a vital opportunity for stakeholders to observe the tangible outcomes of a successful public-private partnership aimed at addressing South Africa’s critical skills shortage in the energy and engineering sectors. Attendees were given a firsthand look at how New Age Engineering Solutions, in collaboration with Sasol and EWSETA, is equipping young South Africans with the technical and professional skills needed to thrive in the modern workplace.
From Skills to Jobs
“When we started New Age Engineering Solutions, our vision was to develop young people into future leaders and make them central to the essence of the business,” said Zinyana. “Today, we’ve trained a significant number of students, and despite a challenging year, we’ve achieved a strong absorption rate of at least 40%.”
New Age recruited 100 individuals into the programme, training them in trades such as welding, boilermaking, and pipe fitting.
A Shared Vision
The aim of the programme is to create a sustainable impact by:
– Bridging the skills gap through hands-on, real-world training in engineering trades.
– Powering youth employability by connecting industry needs.
– Driving inclusive growth by empowering women and developing talent in traditionally male-dominated industries.
“Our strategy at EWSETA is aligned with addressing the challenges of youth employment. We recognise the role we play in capacity building, but we don’t build capacity for the numbers; we build capacity to achieve inclusive economic participation,” says Mookapele, CEO of EWSETA.
The site visit reaffirmed the collective goal of the private sector joining hands with the government and SETAs to ensure that skills development becomes a lived reality for young people across communities.
“The main aim of any training or upskilling programme should be to ensure that learners are absorbed into the economy. And when I talk about absorption into the economy, I’m not just talking about them becoming employees—I’m talking about them being able to employ others as well,” said Minister Gondwe, who was the keynote speaker for the day.
