Despite the lack of skills in the market, qualified and skilled mechanical, electrical and civil engineers are in high demand for projects related to water and wastewater, owing to the national focus on water and sanitation improvements.

This is according to recruitment company Network Recruitment division Network Engineering senior branch manager Marna Thompson, who notes that many of the skills needed for these projects need to be sourced from overseas or while some skills are available in South Africa, they may not be in the market.

Further, she says water and sanitation improvement is a large focus for govern- ment, adding that the Department of Water Affairs has approached Network Engineering to recruit skilled engineers for water projects.

“Some of our clients who require us to find these skills for them have diverse businesses and would pursue different types of projects that require different types of skilled engineers. Other clients search for junior and senior mechanical and electrical engi- neers in South Africa and while they are available in the market, it is sometimes difficult to convince them to leave their current companies,” she explains.

While this is a challenge for recruiters, engineering companies need to expand their thinking around the benefits of further training, better salary packages, flexible working hours for commuters, development plans and growth opportunities to attract these skills.

Thompson warns that if skills cannot be attracted locally and from overseas, this could be detrimental to the development of South Africa.

She adds that while there are engineering positions available locally and there are skilled engineering graduates and artisans to fill these positions, job seekers need to understand that these positions may not be in the sectors they would traditionally expect them to be.

Graduates have a specific idea of the industries, companies and areas they would like to work in and Thompson advises that these graduates be open to travelling countrywide and gaining experience in any company.

She explains that in one of Network Engineering’s niche markets – the construction industry – clients require senior engineers to undertake projects in Africa, but these engineers have responsibilities and may not be willing to travel to another country for weeks.

Companies need these skills to expand their businesses into Africa and, therefore, need to ensure they make jobs rewarding and attractive to engineers.

While there are companies that state that they cannot incentivise for skills and would rather train and mentor junior engineers, some engineering companies are willing to construct satellite offices to accommodate skilled engineers that do not wish to travel, adds Thompson.

“An increasing number of our clients request salary surveys on particular skills and qualifications so that they may adjust their current salaries. If they cannot attract the skills needed to secure the project, the company cannot grow,” Thompson states.

She adds that securing the best projects will depend on the type and number of skills a company has to undertake these projects.

Further, she states that there are notable engineering projects in Africa that present engineers with needed experience and suggests that sacrifice from these engineers is sometimes needed to ensure engineers are in the market, working on the best projects.