An internship programme offered by Alberton-based wear solutions company Rio-Carb aims to upskill the engineers of the future.

Rio-Carb manufactures the R-C700 CrC wear liners and pipes for heavy materials handling applications in the mining and allied resources industries.

University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) BSc mechanical engineering student Uma Krige impressed Rio-Carb with her notable academic achievements and leadership qualities. She recently completed her six-week internship at the company, during which she gained invaluable exposure to production and business processes, with experienced engineers on hand for guidance and mentorship.

Rio-Carb director Martin Maine says the company aims to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the industry by upskilling the “engineers of tomorrow”.

“Rio-Carb is essentially a one-stop shop where interns can learn everything, from computer-aided design to actual engineering production. This is a hands-on, real-life learning environment that gives tertiary students much-needed practical experience,” says Maine.

Krige highlights that the exposure to a broad-ranging production environment, such as at Rio-Carb, is rounding her theoretical training at Wits. Apart from being able to see industrial processes such as plasma cutting, welding, grinding, drilling and sheet-forming first-hand, in a highly automated facility, Krige has also attended client site visits, and even attended sales and production meetings.

While it is challenging being a woman in her chosen career path, Krige adds that companies such as Rio-Carb are helping to challenge the status quo in an otherwise male-dominated industry.

Going forward, Maine says that motivated students, like Krige will be offered an opportunity for full-time employment upon successful completion of their studies.
“We also plan to expand our internship programme in the near future, as this represents a significant investment on the part of Rio-Carb in the future of the industry and company,” he concludes.