PRETORIA – In a significant step towards bolstering skilled professionals in the public sector, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala is set to award bursaries to 100 learners from the 2023 matriculant class. These learners, having enrolled in various built environment courses at universities across South Africa, will benefit from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure’s (DPWI) Skills Pipeline Programme.

According to South African Government News Agency, this bursary initiative is a part of the government’s efforts to introduce more skilled professionals into the public sector, particularly in the built environment field. The programme focuses on assisting students who require financial support and have shown academic excellence. These students have been accepted into tertiary institutions to study courses related to the built environment.

The bursary programme, now in its tenth year, aims to increase the number of professionals in the built environment from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, thereby ensuring the transformation of the sector. It also serves as a feeder into the department’s Internship and Young Professionals Programme, ultimately creating a pool of qualified professionals to assist in the state’s infrastructure project delivery.

Students awarded these bursaries will pursue careers in various fields, including Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, and Marine Engineering, Property Studies/Real Estate, Actuarial Science, Quantity Surveying, Construction Project Management, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Town and Regional Planning. The bursary covers a comprehensive range of expenses, including tuition, accommodation, meals, textbooks, project and compulsory study resources, along with a monthly stipend.

Since its inception in 2014, the DPWI bursary programme has invested over R160 million in the education of more than 500 deserving students. This investment is a testament to the department’s commitment to developing skills essential for the public sector.