TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG – SOME 120 South African learners have benefited from the annual Careers Day hosted by Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA).
Some 80 Grade 11 learners from schools in Pretoria attend careers expo at Ford’s Silverton Assembly Plant while 40 students from Port Elizabeth visited the motor company’s Struandale Engine Plant as part of the initiative.
In Pretoria, learners from Nellmapius High School attended the Careers Day expo at FMCSA’s headquarters, which is also home to Ford’s Silverton Assembly Plant that produces the Ranger for domestic sales and export to 148 markets in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth, which machines components and assembles engines for the Ranger and Everest, hosted the learners from Otto du Plessis High School, Ithembelihle Comprehensive School and Gelvandale High School, all of whom gained valuable insight into the variety of careers available within the global Ford network.
Jeff Nemeth, FMCSA President and Chief Executive Officer, says the automotive sector is one of the world’s most dynamic and exciting industries, and among South Africa’s largest employers.
‘Accordingly, it’s essential that we invest in our future, and that of the country, by providing high school learners with insight and guidance into career opportunities at this crucial juncture as they prepare to make decisions on their future studies after completing Matric.”
The Careers Day forms part of Ford’s Better World initiative that aims to empower and uplift communities, while promoting job creation and economic development across the African continent.
As the highlight of the day, the groups then had the chance to witness Ford’s world-class manufacturing operations in action, watching how the trend-setting Ford Ranger comes together with over 3 500 individual components, while the powerful Duratorq TDCi engines are assembled from almost 700 parts.
Presentations by selected tertiary institutions, including Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, along with Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and PE College, concluded the programme by setting out the relevant application processes, subject guidelines and qualifying criteria for future studies.
– Guardian
