Civil Engineering October 2022 | Vol 30 No 9

40 October 2022 Civil Engineering young members T he latest Stats SA Construction Report , released in June this year, shows that 118 000 jobs were lost in the three years between the end of June 2017 and the end of June 2020. Most notably, large decreases in jobs were reported for civil engineering structures (–89 000) and buildings (–18 000). Added to this, the sector’s total income decreased by 7.1% between 2017 (R470 billion) and 2020 (R437 billion). A decrease of R59 billion was reported for civil engineering structures specifically. In the Q1 2022 Afrimat Construction Index (ACI), economist Dr Roelof Botha noted that, “Ever since the ACI recorded its highest level yet, namely 143.8 during the third quarter of 2016, a combination of high interest rates, low economic growth, state capture, public sector incompetence and high levels of violent crime have dampened activity in the country’s construction sector.” He added that the prevalence of intimidation, extortion and violence on construction sites, which has reached crisis levels, is a major obstacle to the fur- ther expansion of construction activity. The industry is also having to cope with higher interest rates. Added to this are the economic pres- sures brought about by pandemic-induced lockdowns, the destructive riots in July 2021, severe flooding in Durban and parts of the Eastern Cape earlier this year, causing major infrastructure damage, and the Russia-Ukraine war. Civil engineering students and gradu- ates are not immune to the pressures on the construction industry. Many of SAICE’s student members still report difficulties in finding vacation work and employment opportunities, as well as a general disconnect in the expectations of employers. WORK OPPORTUNITIES Anri Kroukamp, Chairperson of SAICE’s Stellenbosch Student Chapter, says that students are stuck in a vicious cycle of needing experience to find appropriate work opportunities, but needing to work to gain experience. “We are struggling to find vacation work to add to our CVs to sculpt a better future and increase our chances to qualify for increasingly scarce work opportunities,” she says. Anri enrolled as a full-time student for an MEng degree in the hopes that expanding her knowledge would make her more eligible for work. But after applying for part-time positions to gain experience and assist in generating funds to pay for her master’s degree, she was told that she was now too qualified, or that she would not be hired because she is still studying. SAICE student member Thandiwe Pitso agrees that employers expect graduates to have experience immedi- ately after completing their studies. She recounts an early work experience in which her manager, who was responsible for teaching and mentoring her, left the company two weeks after Thandiwe started her contract, and she was left to work alone despite her lack of experi- ence. Thandiwe then lost her job after not being paid for two months (during which time she was still expected to work) because the company was struggling financially. “I have been applying to different companies without any luck of being called for an interview. Even now I am still unemployed and currently studying an Advanced Diploma in Civil Engineering with UNISA, even though I am not sure if I will get employed after completing the course. I don’t want to end up being too qualified without any work experience, but I believe that one needs to uplift themselves,” says Thandiwe. She adds that many graduates end up working for free or for very low salaries just to get experience, which results in many losing motivation and their hope of a career in civil engineering. “The Covid-19 tragedy took most of the opportunities away, and students and graduates are no longer seeing the future in this profession,” says Thapelo Molaudzi, a student at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and former vice-chairperson of the university’s student chapter. “The politicians and the Tackling the unemployment challenge The Covid-19 pandemic may have started as a health crisis, but for South Africa it quickly spiraled into an economic crisis, placing strain on an already struggling economy and especially the construction sector. Not immune to these stressors, students and graduates report greater difficulties in finding work opportunities in the sector. Civil Engineering spoke to students and industry professionals to get their take on the situation. “We are struggling to find vacation work to add to our CVs to sculpt a better future and increase our chances to qualify for increasingly scarce work opportunities.” – Anri Kroukamp “I feel as if universities count on companies and employers to catch recent graduates up on too much.” – Ishana Ranchod