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The Eskom Development Foundation held its annual Contractor Academy Programme graduation ceremony for Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga Province last Thursday, 22 August 2019. The graduation was the culmination of an eight-month course which covers project and financial management, entrepreneurship, legislation and technical acumen; amongst other essential business skills.

The programme is aimed at equipping emerging contractors and suppliers with the academic skills to successfully manage, and grow sustainable businesses. It also supports the government’s goals of skills and infrastructure development, job creation and poverty alleviation.

Delivering a keynote address at the graduation function, Eskom Board member Professor Malegapuru Makgoba stated that: “Eskom has awarded contracts with a total value of over R3 billion to deserving contractors who have completed the Academy’s training. We are especially proud of the fact that over 40% of our emerging contractor intake over the past eleven years has been women, however, as noteworthy as that may be, we look forward to seeing many more women participants going through and completing the programme.”

Since its inception in 2008, the Contractor Academy has seen 1500 students graduate nationally, with a fair representation of graduates across all the provinces in the country.
 
Daunting and exacting in its composition, participants were required to attend 1-week block sessions every month to learn how to navigate their way around industry challenges, think out the box and channel their energy into success strategies.
 
Dumisani Rasenavho, owner of DVR Electrical Services was this year’s top student, having achieved an average of 89%. Rasenavho stated that over and above improving his business skills, the Eskom Contractor Academy programme assisted him to pass his accounting studies.
 
“I am happy to be the best student in my class but more than anything else, this achievement has proved to me that hard work and determination does pay off. I routinely travelled 600kms from Vryburg in the North West to Polokwane to attend classes and as a result of that commitment, I no longer have to outsource some of the work, I now do it myself,” Rasenavho said.
 
“The academy is an integral part of Eskom’s corporate social investment programme as it seeks to enhance quality of life of South Africans. Through initiatives such as the Contractor Academy, Eskom is seeking to assist young people to find solutions to the country’s challenges of poverty and unemployment,” explained Eskom Development Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Cecil Ramonotsi.

Issued by Eskom