Written by Raksha Naidoo | WiMSA Chairperson
On April 15th, Women in Mining South Africa proudly hosted a Career Fair with 350 Grade 9 and Grade 12 learners attending in Rustenburg. Together with our partners, Fraser Alexander and the Royal Bafokeng Institute, our teams came together to showcase the exciting world of mining and to help inspire learners to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).
The top 30 achievers from each of the high schools in the area were invited and hosted at the Bafokeng Secondary School, where they were invited to meet some of the leading women in the mining industry and hear their stories, journeys, and experiences.
Our incredible lineup of speakers comprised some of the industry trailblazers, some of whom started their journeys from the same region.
A huge thank you to Dr. Sopelekae Maithufi, Fatima Hayat, Murendeni Makhado, Humbulani Havhi, Chane De Jager, Tebogo Mosito, Ndamulelo Mutshinya, and Bronwyn Swartz for inspiring us with their stories of courage and perseverance.
We were also supported by some of the mining houses in the area, who joined us to showcase their organisations' offerings to students, explain some of the bursaries and graduate programmes that can exist, and provide guidance to the Grade 12 learners who wanted to enquire about applications.
A massive thank you to the teams from Fraser Alexander, Royal Bafokeng Institute, Ditsogo Group, AMIS, Glencore, Royal Bafokeng Platinum, Red Solution- Artificial Intelligence Solutions, Sibanye Stillwater, Battery Electric, and Weir Minerals for supporting this initiative.
It is an important objective for us at WiMSA to focus on how best we can attract young girls into the world of STEM and mining and to inspire them to take on some of the more challenging STEM subjects and build careers for themselves.
Last year, we launched the first edition of our Career Booklet, which showcases the different faces of women in mining. It highlights women's various careers in this industry and shares a glimpse into what those careers are.
"Our motto at WiMSA this year is to Be Bold, Be Brave, and Be You! We want to encourage all young girls to embrace their passions, learn about this wonderfully challenging and rewarding industry, work hard, and become the great successes that we know they can be, as they are the future leaders of our industry. Empowering the youth of our country is a huge step forward in our quest to break gender stereotypes and change the narratives of what future leadership looks like." said Chairperson for Women in Mining South Africa, Raksha Naidoo.
This event was an incredible success, and we are excited to have been able to share this with the students in Bafokeng! We are forever grateful to the teams at RBI and Fraser Alexander for their constant support of this initiative and look forward to growing this project even more next year.
A special thank you to Thiloshini Ramdass and Boitumelo Sefemo, who worked alongside the WiMSA team to make this event successful. And to our former WiMSA Chairperson, Claire McMaster, who continues to champion these projects alongside WiMSA, we are always grateful for your passion.
If you believe your region can benefit from a WiMSA Career Day, get in touch with us.
Contact us at info@wimsa.org.za.
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