The Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre’s (EBMTC’s) efforts to empower women in the construction industry are starting to manifest as one of its students has graduated from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) through the support of the EBMTC.
The EBMTC supports the development of gender equality and has put in place a number of initiatives to further strengthen the position of women working in male-dominated industries.
“We are striving to expose women to tradition-ally male professions, encouraging them to study science, math, engineering, law and finance,” says EBMTC unit head of education and training of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Sekwena Mercy Sekano.
Portia Monica Maluleka, one of the recent graduates from UWC through the partnerships between EBMTC and UWC, graduated cum laude after completing a course in labour law at UWC.
“In construction, women have less power than men. This is why it is so important for me to improve my skills so that I can grow and climb the corporate ladder. I am aiming to have my own business in the future,” says Maluleka.
Sekano points out that it is a matter of great pride for him to see how successful women are becoming in male-dominated industries such as mining and construction.
“We will continue to ensure that women are empowered, for example, we have another programme with the University of North- West Business School called Fundamental Management Programme and the majority of the students were women,” he notes.
Through these kinds of initiatives, the EBMTC believes it will be able to fulfil its mandate of developing the breadth and depth of leadership skills for women in both the mining and construction sector.
In so doing, Sekano highlights that the EBMTC contributes to the stabilisation of industrial relations in the mine, energy and construction sectors and ensures a well-educated workforce, equipped to serve the needs and realities of a growing South African economy.
Other courses offered by EBMTC include computer training, basic economics, business writing and leadership courses, among a range of other practical topics. The EBMTC trains more than 500 people every year and continues to drive coursework development.