As South Africa marks Youth Month, industry leaders are calling for urgent action to attract more young engineers into municipal roles, warning that infrastructure development and service delivery depend on a stronger pipeline of technical talent.
South Africa’s ability to tackle its growing infrastructure challenges will depend heavily on attracting and developing a new generation of engineering professionals, according to the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA).
As the country commemorates Youth Month, the organisation has called for greater investment in young engineers, warning that a shortage of technical skills within municipalities is placing increasing pressure on service delivery, infrastructure maintenance and economic growth.
Industry estimates suggest South Africa faces a shortage of as many as 60 000 engineering professionals, while universities continue to produce fewer graduates than the economy requires, particularly in scarce skills disciplines.
Municipalities are also competing with sectors such as energy, technology, manufacturing and consulting for a limited pool of engineering graduates.
