Launched in March 2011, the Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy was established with the short-term goal of developing 10 000 electronics engineers across the continent by 2015. The academy provides hands-on, vocational skills training at no cost for 360 students from eight technical high schools in the Ekurhuleni municipality and four Further Education & Training institutions around Gauteng province.
In addition to ensuring that the continent develops an adequate pool of engineering skills, the academy provides learners with skilled job opportunities - a commitment that supports the South African government's drive to address the problem of youth unemployment. The graduates are placed in positions at Samsung's service centre, knock-down assembly plant and the company's call centre partner, Inter-Active Technologies.
Inter-Active Technologies' GM of operations, Bevin Sandras, said: "Samsung and Inter-Active Technologies have a like-minded approach to developing and investing in their people. Inter-Active Technologies has established this initiative internally with its Career Development Programme and immediately identified this as an opportunity to work together with Samsung on this initiative."
Sandras pointed out that Inter-Active Technologies has always looked to develop and grow its staff and move them along their respective career paths. "Working with learners provides us the opportunity to extend this approach to reach people in the community who may have otherwise not had this opportunity. As such, this speaks to our core values and allows us to contribute outside of our traditional focus areas."
As part of the academy curriculum, students go through a one-year programme comprising basic, intermediate and advanced engineering skills, aligned to their set curriculum at school. Samsung works closely with the Electrical Technology Facilitator in the district so that the academy not only supplements the school curriculum, but also introduces students to industry appropriate skills, tools and equipment.
Ntutule Tshenye, CSR lead at Samsung Electronics Africa, added: "Skilled graduates are key to helping us reach our business goals, providing us with a workforce of technicians and service experts needed to differentiate Samsung as a quality service-oriented company. With the goal to grow our business on the continent, we also know that we have to sustain our level of innovation. This can only be achieved if we invest in education to facilitate thought leadership in Africa."
Sandras concluded by adding that Inter-Active Technologies views learnership as one of its key strategic initiatives. "We consider it valuable that our partnership enables us to drive this initiative from more than one direction. The programme is enjoying considerable success and, as such, we will look to make this part of our long-term vision for the partnership going forward."
