Samsung has launched an engineering academy to help boost technical and engineering skills locally in what is an CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative built in Africa, for Africa by Africa.

The school is located in Boksburg and will benefit Technical High Schools in the Ekurhuleni municipal area. Four schools have already been signed up with more to be added in the the coming years. These young participants can look forward to a state-of-the-art Electronics Engineering Lab for practical work and a technology-rich space for lessons and discussions.

Graduates from the Academy will furthermore compete for an internship opportunity at one of Samsung's service centres nationwide. The engineering skills that they would have learnt further lend them to employment opportunities with not only Samsung and its partners but other industry players as well.

See the full press release below.

Samsung launches Electronics Engineering Academy - built in Africa, for Africa, by Africa
The company aims to impact 5 million lives by 2015 through core CSR initiatives

08 March 2011; Statistics* show that out of the 205,364 candidates in South Africa who wrote Physical Science as a matric subject in 2010, only 47.8% achieved a mark of 30% and above. While this is an improvement compared to the 2009 figures, this rate has dropped overall – resulting in the under-development of the necessary science skills critical to South Africa’s long-term economic growth.

To help boost technical and engineering skills locally, Samsung has launched the Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy – a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative built in Africa, for Africa, by Africa. The initiative strives to transform communities through education and skills development and in return, open up skilled, well-paying job opportunities for individuals. By tapping into the youth’s interest in electronics, Samsung will equip underprivileged students attending government technical schools with the skills and practical experience required to make them competitive in the local job market.

Ntutule Tshenye, CSR Lead at Samsung Africa says; “At Samsung, we have identified the urgent need to address such skills and education challenges that Africa faces, as these affect the overall industry we are involved in. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to implement effective and sustainable CSR initiatives that will deliver measurable improvements to the quality of life for both individuals and the community we work in. We have set a goal accordingly: to positively impact 5 million lives by 2015. Through the Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy we are addressing the critical technical and engineering skills shortage in South Africa and, as we expand our initiative across the African continent. The Academy also aims to differentiate Samsung’s quality of service to our customers. We are building a workforce of technicians and exclusive service experts in line with the South African government’s drive of creating decent jobs, especially for young citizens.”

The Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy is located in Boksburg and will benefit the Technical High schools in the Ekurhuleni municipal area. Samsung has already signed participation agreements with four Tech High schools in Katlehong and Vosloorus, and will accommodate more schools in the coming years. The Academy boosts a state of the art Electronics Engineering Lab to be used for all the practical work, and a technology-rich space where students, sourced from Grades 10 – 12 Physical Science and Mathematics, will undertake their theoretical lessons and discussions. The overall emphasis is hands-on, practical experience for the workplace. Furthermore, Samsung is focused on entering graduates of this class into a service centre programme.

Students who graduate from the Academy will also compete for an internship opportunity at one of Samsung’s various service centres across the country where they will put the skills learned at the Academy to practical use for Samsung customers. Because the program provides students with the necessary engineering acumen, Samsung will help give the graduates a head start in the workplace, making them attractive recruits for Samsung, Samsung partners and or other industry players.

Concludes Tshenye; “CSR has come a long way over the years and now forms part of Samsung’s core business objectives. The reality is that no company will be able to compete effectively without solid CSR initiatives in place, as there is a high demand for such programmes across Africa. This is why the Samsung Engineering Academy plays a key role within Samsung’s overall CSR strategy, which incorporates far more than merely monetary investment, but rather a value-added approach, incorporating elements of true involvement such as employee time, consumer education and brand alignment. With our goal in place to impact 5 million lives by 2015, we believe that this initiative has the potential to do just that!”

*Fact of the day, For the love of science, February 2011, Eighty 20

Download the press release

CEO and President, Mr. Kwang Kee Park opened the Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy

Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy - launch day 3