As a child, Khentsane Mgiba was very curious about electricity, so it was a natural choice for her to study electrical engineering. Through the ABB Education Trust she was able to complete her degree and is well on her way to achieving her goal.
Khentsane is among a number of black, female engineers who are being mentored in their various fields of specialisation by ABB.
Traditionally, the field of engineering has been very male-dominated, and the percentage of female engineers at universities, and in the workplace, substantially lower than what it should be.
In answer to that, and in response to South Africa’s high unemployment rates, ABB developed an education trust which benefits black, female engineers in South Africa.
ABB is a global, multi-national company, and a pioneering leader in the digital space. By harnessing the untapped potential of the youth, they are not only facilitating the provision of on-trend services and solutions globally but are also ensuring that women fill top management positions in their company.
#SAINC met Onalethata Kabela, a passionate and dedicated sales specialist in grid automation at ABB, who says that she wasn’t simply identified as a female engineering talent, but as an engineering talent in her own right. What’s more, in the 10 years that she’s been at ABB, she has seen the number of females in their factory increase sevenfold.
Through their education initiatives ABB is not only empowering the future female leaders of tomorrow, but is also reinventing the field of engineering in South Africa.