Zest WEG Group believes that it has a fundamental responsibility to assist in improving the lives of disadvantaged individuals in South Africa by providing access to education and skills development opportunities within the engineering industry. The CSI policy not only underpins the group’s strategic intent but also aligns with the relevant mining legislation, including the Mining Charter.
This philosophy is evident in the recent donation of a substantial quantity of electrical equipment to the Tshwane North Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College. Zest WEG Group’s relationship with TVET colleges (previously known as FET Colleges) dates back to 2011, when the group committed to help address the shortage of technical skilled trades through equipment donations to a number of colleges.
This initiative supports the South African Department of Labour’s identification of skills shortfalls as being particularly high in terms of engineers, technicians, artisans and skilled labourers. Zest WEG Group believes that higher education and training is a priority towards building a sustainable economy.
Tshwane North Technical and Vocational Education and Training College is one of the 50 public TVET colleges in South Africa. It is geared towards ensuring that those skills that are needed to drive the regional economic growth and social development of South Africa are delivered in all its campuses to enhance both government investment and broad service delivery. The student population of the college is between 15 000 and 21 000 students at any given time.
The equipment donated by Zest WEG Group, which includes motors, contactors, relays, starters, circuit breakers, fuses and other accessories, will be utilised in the workshop of Tshwane North’s Rosslyn, Temba, Soshanguve North and Mamelodi campuses, where electrical engineering courses are offered. Technical support for the products will be provided by the group when necessary.
The equipment will aid lecturers at the facilities in demonstrating actual scenarios and will also provide electrical engineering learners with a more enriched understanding of the electrical aspects of running electric motors and electrical accessories. The learners will become well versed in the correct selection and application of cutting edge international technology and new product lines.
Zest WEG Group provided training for the facilitators on variable speed drives, soft starters, smart relays, motors and PLC for WLP.
The purpose of this training was to provide the facilitators with a detailed understanding on the daily use and maintenance of the products.
In addition to the TVET donations, Zest WEG Group’s CSI education programme also includes a number of learnership programmes that entail developing select unemployed youth by qualifying them in electrical engineering, with a subsequent Trade Test.
Experiential opportunities are offered to students to complete their National Diplomas and, on a yearly basis, the organisation funds one electrical engineering university student.
