July 2009

IN WHAT is regarded as a concrete step by industry towards ensuring that broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) codes have their intended effect, Naacam, the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) and the Nelson Mandela Metro have pooled resources to double the number of black engineers recruited into the elite Automotive Experiential Career Development Programme (AECDP). 

Managed by the AIDC, the AECDP identifies, equips, finances and mentors black school leavers into the engineering workplace. Thanks to new funding from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and Naacam, in 2009 the programme will recruit 60 top black learners from Port Elizabeth and surrounds - double the normal annual student intake. 

AIDC general manager for the Eastern Cape, Estelle Gathercole, said while the programme was one of the most successful of its kind, it required additional industry support. "The programme cannot keep up with the demand for engineers from industry, and we trust that Nacaam would act as a catalyst for other organisations to contribute," Gathercole said. Source: AIDC newsletter