Festo has been a leading worldwide supplier of automation technology and a performance leader in industrial training and education programs for almost half a century. They are more than just an automation supplier; they play a vital role in the development of young people in the country. Festo is one of the companies that are helping solve the country’s challenges, such as the lack of funding for further education, the unemployment rate and the South African economy. For many years they have been giving young individuals opportunities to hone their industry skills through internships, apprenticeships and learnerships.

To honour their responsibility in the country and industry, Festo invested over 1,5 million towards bursaries and sponsorships in the year 2020. These investments were funded towards the engineering department at Witwatersrand, the mechatronics department at Sedibeng College and the electrical engineering department at the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE) which are in line with the company’s focus. They further allocated some of their funds towards off-site leadership programme institutions, namely: YES, Click, FURAHA and EDGE Training Consultancy, which focus on young people that cannot further their studies due to financial constraints. 

According to Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, technical vocational education and training colleges are critical in the growth of businesses and the further development of the economy.To boost skills development in the country, Festo is currently funding two students to acquire a National Certificate in Business Administration and three that are on Disabled Hygiene and Cleaning Learnerships at EDGE Training Consultancy. Further to that, they are funding six more learners that are on Cookery Learnerships at Thubelihle Graduate Institute and an additional ten students on Plant Production Learnerships at Rasinkhu Investments. These learnerships are for the duration of 12 months.

“We work with various institutions to contribute towards enhanced productivity, industrialisation and social upliftment,” said Roxanne Michael, Executive Director of Strategic Resources at Festo South Africa. Adding to her statement, Roxanne mentioned that during this tough economic period, they have managed to enrol ten females to study agriculture. The skills they acquire at these institutions will help them excel in their respective industries.

Additionally, Festo donated a CNC machine in June 2020 to Afritshipi/Jwetsanang Trading and Projects. “This is a small company that we intend to work with on big mining projects in future,” said Roxanne. The Managing Director, Mr Lebogang Tlakula expressed gratitude on behalf of the whole company. This machine will help them meet the requirements of modern basic and further training in the industry.

An internship gives postgraduates experience in the career field they want to pursue. Each year, Festo hires interns to work for the company. These internships prepare them for what to expect in their field and assists with enhancing confidence in their work. In 2019, Festo helped two of their interns’ start-up their own businesses. These ladies now provide their services to Festo as well as other companies. The interns intend to grow their businesses and hire young graduates to beat unemployment. While some interns grow to work for other companies once they complete their internship period, and others start-up their businesses, Festo also absorbs some of these interns in the company.

One of the internship beneficiary Tressure Makgohloa who is now a permanent employee at Festo expressed how the company launched his career. This was after he made a notable impression at the Worldskills competition in 2015 when he represented South Africa at the 43rd WorldSkills competition as a student at Anhembi Parque, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He further explained that he has never looked back from that day as he is still involved in the Worldskills competition (one of the world’s biggest skills competition) as a floor manager, and now running for the role of chief expert. “Festo has helped me develop a set of skills that have opened a lot of opportunities to travel the world and collaborate with some of the world’s highly educated and experienced people” he added.

Festo continues to stay actively involved in the futures of young aspiring individuals. Their passion for assisting and helping in developing the country has seen them achieve a lot of good such as closing the gap between education and industry. They have also managed to create jobs for numerous young hopefuls in not just automation but various industries such as farming, marketing, logistics and more. Festo does not only offer maximum productivity and competitiveness for their customers in Industrial Automation, they also strive to make a positive impact in society and improve the lives of ordinary citizens.