On 26 February the City of Johannesburg Library hosted a career guidance event for over 50 young girls aged 12 to 14 years across Johannesburg.
The aim of the day was to raise awareness and spark early interest in various career paths within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The event brought together exceptional and well-accomplished female engineers from various organisations, including the Women in Engineering from National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA), formerly known as Eskom Transmission and the Conseil International des Grands Réseaux Électriques (CIGRE) Southern Africa Women in Energy (WiE) initiative, which Neo Mapapanyane, a Principal Consultant at TNEI Africa, chairs.
Speaking about her experience, Neo shared:
“Encouraging curiosity in young minds is one of the most powerful ways that we can shape the future of our industry.
As the chair of CIGRE SA Women in Energy (WiE), I am extremely passionate about supporting the next generation of talent.
If we can show students as early as possible that engineering – and STEM in general – is a career path where they can solve real life challenges and make a positive difference to our future, then we’ve taken a great first step.
The day finished with a tour of the library, which reminded me how things have changed in our increasingly digital world where children can easily forget how accessible valuable resources can be within our public libraries.
The event has inspired me to encourage my son to experience the treasures of our libraries by exploring, borrowing and learning from the world of books.
In an age of digital evolution, we must ensure that the joy of libraries is not lost!
I’d like to thank all the students who attended, and to my fellow engineers who came together at the City of Johannesburg Library to support, encourage and inspire, and to the library staff for their continued hard work and dedication to our learning.”
