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Denel seeking young blood

Johannesburg - South African defence company Denel is trying to attract bright students and graduates to a career in the defence and security sectors, its human resources head said on Monday.

"We want to create a dynamic environment where the best and brightest students choose to pursue future careers in defence and security-related sectors, such as aviation, aerospace, and high-tech manufacturing," said Natasha Davies, acting group executive for human resources and transformation at Denel.

Davies said the technology it developed was increasingly being used to find solutions for problems, such as rhino poaching, smuggling illegal substances, border control, space science, and research into alternative energy sources.

Denel believed it was able to offer opportunities to prospective graduates in most engineering and technical disciplines.

It offered support for maths and science teaching programmes aimed at high school pupils.

Denel engineers spent weekends and holidays providing extra tuition to pupils who wanted to improve their maths marks.

Some of the top students were offered bursaries to study engineering at local universities, and could be offered a position at the end of their studies.

With the "huge competition" for engineering and technical students, the company hoped to provide exciting opportunities for young engineers looking for careers on the "cutting edge" of research, development, and project management.

It had spent R752m on client and self-funded research and development. This was 21% of its turnover in the past financial year.

"The challenge is to retain the skills and knowledge of our existing workforce, and supplement that with the enthusiasm and energy of young engineers that enter the company," she said.

"These newcomers often have a great understanding of new technology and modern production processes, and we want to ensure that they can find long-term careers with Denel."

Davies added the defence sector had policies and programmes in place to attract more women - such as South African Women in Engineering and Techno Girl.

To promote transformation and diversity, it wanted to attract more black employees, and favour small and medium enterprises through its supplier development programmes.


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