For a couple of remarkable young women, exposure to sought-after technological skills isn’t just a chance to improve their own career prospects, but it also allows them to act as role models and bring about positive change in their communities.
Both Ntombifuthi Mwale and Samukelisiwe Dube are beneficiaries of Huawei’s Bursary Programme, which provides students from disadvantaged backgrounds with the opportunity to flourish and achieve academic and professional goals while ensuring they are adequately prepared for employment.
The programme is accessible to second, third, and fourth-year students from a variety of disciplines, including those pursuing degrees in computer science and information systems.
Mwale (23), was born and raised in Ivory Park and still lives there with her grandmother, mother, two uncles, and five siblings.
“Most people living in Ivory Park come from poor families and don’t have access to higher quality education, and are unemployed or working for the middle class,” said Mawela.
Despite these obstacles, she graduated from the University of Johannesburg with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 2021.
Although she began working immediately after receiving her degree, she realised she was not done learning.
Fortunately, acceptance into Huawei’s Bursary Programme allowed her to return to school and complete her honours degree.
This was due to Mwale’s lofty goals for herself and her family.
“My main goals are to get my honours, work in a reputable organisation, and save enough money to build my mother a house,” she explained.
“As the first graduate in my family, I want to use my accomplishment to encourage my siblings and the young people in my neighbourhood to continue their education. I wish to bring about a revolutionary transformation in my town by becoming a light of knowledge.”
Dube aspires to the same lofty goals. Dube, who was born and raised in Johannesburg and now resides in Boksburg, is a student of information science at the University of Pretoria.
“I believe that this bursary will not only help me start the career that I want in ICT, but it will also help me grow in the skills I need to be an active citizen in the information and knowledge society that we are moving towards globally,” said Dube.
Both of these young women recognise the significance of the ICT skills they are learning as part of their courses.
That is not just through their personal and professional prospects but also South Africa’s ability to undergo the transformation required for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
“In the context of South Africa, 4IR can promote economic expansion, job transformation, boost productivity, and raise its citizens’ standards of living,” Dube explained.
According to Mohammed Bismilla, Huawei’s head of emerging talent, the business is committed to bridging this gap through initiatives such as the bursary programme.
“Huawei is heavily invested in ensuring that South Africa’s youth have the skills needed for the country to compete in the fourth industrial revolution,” said Bismilla.
“We could not credibly claim to be serious about that investment if we did not aim for gender parity in our bursary and graduate programmes, which look to take on between 60 and 70 graduates a year, who are then placed in different parts of the business.
By firmly grasping the opportunities available to them, bursary recipients will act as role models for those who follow them. In doing so, they will help transform not just their own communities but South Africa as a whole.
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