The students, who hail from Stanger, Macambini and Mandeni on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast started their four-year apprenticeship programme in 2009.

Zanele Nzuza, Tongaat Hulett’s Human Resources Officer for Amatikulu Mill, said that students required an N3 Engineering qualification to be eligible for the programme.

“Apprenticeships are offered in electrical trade, boilermaking, platter welders, welders, mechanical diesel and other trades. Once the students have completed their apprenticeship they are employed by Tongaat Hulett as junior artisans,” said Nzuza.

These programmes assist with sourcing and developing young talent in anticipation of future skills requirements. To support these programmes, Tongaat Hulett has formed strong partnerships with select educational institutions and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).

The apprenticeship programme is divided into four phases with each phase consisting of 12 weeks of training at the Shukela Training Centre in Mount Edgecombe, KwaZulu-Natal and 25 weeks of factory training at Tongaat Hulett’s sugar mills.

Progress from one phase to another in both the Shukela Training Centre and factory training is determined by the competence of the apprentice.

“Apprentices are mentored by qualified journeymen in the same trade and we have a training committee, which is made up of a technical team and a skills development facilitator,” added Nzuza.

For Zanele Ntuli of Mandeni, the Tongaat Hulett apprenticeship programme came at a critical time in her life, when the foster grant she and her siblings had been reliant on was discontinued. As the eldest of five orphaned children, the responsibility to be the breadwinner of the family fell on her shoulders.

The 34-year-old mother of two said: “I have leant so much about Tongaat Hulett and its operations through the apprenticeship programme. It has changed my life tremendously. Before I had nothing and there was no support but now I am independent and I am able to create a better life for myself, my siblings and my children.”

Now that Ntuli has completed her apprenticeship, she intends to further her studies in Mechanical Engineering.

23-year-old Saschen Naidoo from Stanger who graduated from Umfolozi FET College with a N3 in Mechanical Engineering said that the hands-on approach and practical work he was exposed to provided more context of the trade that he had studied, which had allowed him to learn and grow.

Mzwandile Mbatha of Macambini, who was employed at Tongaat Hulett’s Amatikulu Mill as a general worker for three years after having completed his N3 Engineering studies at Umfolozi College, was ecstatic to be accepted into the apprenticeship programme.

“This was a dream come true for me. I finally got something I wanted really badly. With this apprenticeship under my belt, I can now further my studies in the Engineering field,” Mbatha said.