February and March have been busy months for Next Engineers in Johannesburg. Not only did we kick off the Engineering Academy, we also brought on board Cohort 3 of Engineering Academy participants. At least 60% of Cohort 3 participated in the 2023 Engineering Camp, with three of the learners having gone through Engineering Discovery sessions back in 2022! For us, this shows the interest we have generated in the program and how some of the learners we have interacted and engaged with have chosen to pursue their interest in engineering through the Next Engineers program.
In February, Cohorts 1 and 2 started their year in the Academy and have been rolling since then. Cohort 1, our Grade 12s, have started with their open design challenge where they choose which real-life problem they would like to tackle, and get to work on tackling it. They have to apply all the skills and techniques they have learnt in the program thus far to do this. We have no doubt that we will see amazing projects when their day to present finally comes.
Cohort 2 have also begun their Clean Streams project, where they have to design a water purification system and get it working to the optimal level. Having learnt a lot, and performing beyond expectations, in their first year of the Academy, expectations for their products are really high. We look forward to seeing what they will come up with!
Our latest addition to the family, Cohort 3, have started with their very first project, Spring Loaded. They are excited to start this journey and many have expressed their enjoyment of the program from the experience they had during the Camp and have shared their excitement for the Academy. The team is working really hard to continue delivering a program that continues to excite, spark interest in engineering and produce engineers!
