Page 22 - EngineerIT June July Issue 2026

ENGINEERING

Why South Africa needs a National

Graduate Rotation Programme

By Hans van de Groenendaal, Science and Technology Writer

ecently, I had a conversation Maartens adds, “Today’s plants run The SAIMC Graduate Rotation for
with Johan Maartens, on advanced PLCs, DCS platforms, Industry Programme (GRIP)
RExecutive Director of industrial networks, cybersecurity The programme proposes giving
the Society for Automation, layers, robotics, and data-driven engineering graduates structured
Instrumentation, Mechatronics automation systems. Yet graduates exposure to:
and Computer Engineering entering the workforce often have • Vendor Technologies: Graduates
(SAIMC), about this critically never touched the equipment that rotate through leading automation
important subject: why South drives South Africa’s mines, factories, vendors to gain hands-on
Africa needs a National Graduate utilities, and processing plants. The experience with PLCs, DCS, SCADA,
Rotation Programme. result is that companies spend 12–24 HMI, instrumentation and process
months retraining graduates before analytics, robotics and motion
Are tertiary institutions turning out they can contribute meaningfully.” control, industrial networks,
a market-ready workforce? It is cybersecurity (ISA/IEC 62443),
a sensitive point of discussion in Graduates are not ready for digitalisation, and Industry 4.0
industry. Johan Maartens believes modern equipment platforms.
that South Africa’s industrial At a recent SAIMC Supplier Advisory • Industrial Plants: Graduates then
economy is at a crossroads. Council meeting, leading automation rotate through participating industrial
vendors raised a shared concern: partners to gain real operational
“Automation, digitalisation, graduates entering industry have no experience in commissioning,
robotics, and AI are accelerating exposure to the modern equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, control
globally, yet our country’s they will be expected to operate, system upgrades, instrumentation
engineering talent pipeline is maintain, or design around. calibration, safety systems, and
struggling to keep pace. The gap production optimisation.
between what graduates learn at Maartens states that this is not an • Professional Practice: In the final year,
university and what they encounter isolated complaint, emphasising, “It is graduates complete an ECSA-aligned
in modern industrial plants has a systemic challenge affecting every portfolio under mentorship, preparing
widened to the point where it now sector - mining, petrochemical, fast- them for registration as professional
threatens productivity, safety, and moving consumer goods (FMCG), practitioners.
competitiveness,” he says. water, energy, and manufacturing.” • Maartens believes this is a three-
year, ecosystem-wide solution - not
He adds that this is not a The meeting discussed ideas for a short course or a workshop, but a
criticism of universities, which are addressing these concerns and structured national pipeline.
internationally well-recognised for came up with a bold proposal: a • Strengthening South Africa’s
their high standards, but rather national facility, coordinated by the industrial competitiveness
a reflection of how fast industrial SAIMC, where graduates can rotate
technology has evolved. through vendor training centres and Countries that win in automation
industrial plants to gain real, hands- and digitalisation win in global
on experience. competitiveness. South Africa cannot
compete with a workforce that is two
“This idea is not only feasible. It is generations behind the technology
essential,” says Maartens. curve.

Johan Maartens, Executive Director of the Society for Automation, Instrumentation,
Mechatronics and Computer Engineering (SAIMC)

22 | EngineerIT June/July 2026