In celebration of Youth Day on 16 June, ABB hosted a special event at its Longmeadow, Johannesburg facility for Grade 11 and 12 learners from various high schools in Tembisa and Alexandra townships. The learners were given a tour of the factory and were also addressed by successful graduates employed by ABB, in addition to senior management. Speakers included Momelezi Sifumba, who graduated with a BTech in Electrical Engineering in 2018. He was unable to find employment in his chosen field until a photograph with a ‘Help Me to Find a Job’ sign on LinkedIn in July 2022 caught the attention of ABB senior vice president Graham Abrahams, who interviewed Momelezi and subsequently employed him at ABB.
Momelezi received firsthand training that rotated him through different departments and activities for the best possible practical experience. “There is nothing to stop me from aspiring to fill a team leader or management role. I will also be able to mentor other deserving and unemployed youth,” he says.
Mervin Munsamy, Human Resources Director for ABB, took inspiration from some of our great leaders and said: “Mahatma Gandhi advocated for us to be the change that we would like to see in the world. We should take ownership and commit to lifelong learning and development to make a difference in our lives and the communities in which we live.”
With June designated as Youth Month, graduate Nthabiseng Manana says important attributes for young people to succeed are freedom of choice, an open mind, and the recognition that your current situation is not the only possible outcome. “Shape your own possibilities,” she urges. Graduate Arleta Mukhesi says Youth Month highlights the significant role of quality education in a thriving society. “It gives us an opportunity to reflect on our education system and whether it is meeting the future needs of our youth. We must come up with creative ways to improve the future for our youth and our country,” she adds. “Nothing comes on a silver platter, you need to work your way to the top by being innovative and building a network.”
According to another graduate, Tebogo Seemela, Youth Month is a celebration of young people and their contribution to development. “It is also an opportunity for the youth to realise their power to drive change in the country. Young people are our future leaders and therefore must drive change. We need to be united in working towards the same goal; there is nothing that we cannot achieve together,” concludes Seemela.
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