Masakh’iSizwe graduate on track to achieve professional engineering registration

Masakh’iSizwe Bursary Programme recipient Allison Klaason graduated with a civil engineering degree in December 2023. On 1 March 2024, she went on to participate in the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Professional Development Programme (PDP).

Graduating with a degree in a field such as engineering is the first step to becoming recognised as a professional. The statutory bodies that govern certain professions require graduates to undergo further training, to receive mentorship, and to gain enough experience in the field to meet the requirements for professional registration.

The PDP works with partners in the private sector to enable Masakh’iSizwe graduates to gain the training, mentorship and applied experience they need to become registered professionals. The Department’s cooperation with private sector companies also helps ensure that PDP participants and registered professionals in DOI are continually kept abreast of new developments and technology in their fields of expertise.

Allison is currently working with a DOI partner company as a site engineer, managing activities, procuring materials, planning the daily tasks in accordance with the construction programme, and doing the administration that forms part of this particular contract.

Her goal is to improve transport systems.

“I want to gain substantial experience in both construction and design to build a strong foundation”, she said. “Then, I aim to achieve professional registration with Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), then a pursue a Master’s in Pavement Engineering soon after. Ultimately, my dream is to become an expert in roads, contributing to the improvement of transportation systems”, she added.

“I’m immensely grateful for the invaluable assistance and encouragement that Maskh'iSizwe staff provided, paving the way for my educational journey and future success”, said Allison.

“Their generosity extended far beyond just covering my tuition fees; they also eased the burden of accommodation and books, expenses that would otherwise have been overwhelming. What made the experience even more remarkable was the exceptional support from the bursary team. Their accessibility and willingness to assist, just an email away, made navigating university life much smoother.”

The Department recently awarded bursaries to 50 promising young people who started studying in 2024 towards a degree or a diploma in engineering, a built environment or other infrastructure-relevant field at Stellenbosch University (SU), or the University of Cape Town (UCT), or the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).

Bursaries are awarded on a work-back basis, and comprise both financial and non-financial support. For every year that a student receives Masakh’iSizwe support, he or she is required to work for DOI for a year. Applications are currently open for the Masakh’iSizwe Bursary Programme intake for degree or diploma studies starting in 2025 in one of the following fields:

• Architecture
• Construction management
• Civil engineering
• Electrical engineering (heavy current)
• Mechanical engineering
• Quantity surveying
• Town and regional planning
• Transport economics
• Geomatics
• Property studies

Young people who intend to start studying towards a degree or diploma in one of these fields at SU, UCT, or CPUT next year are invited to apply. Visit the Masakh’iSizwe Bursary webpage for more information.