South Africa faces a significant engineering skills shortage, with an estimated need for an additional 60,000 engineers to drive infrastructure development, industrial growth, and innovation. The country cannot afford to overlook half of its potential engineering talent, particularly women, who remain underrepresented in the profession. Women account for only around 16% of registered engineering professionals, despite gradual progress in STEM education.
The conversation around gender parity in engineering should move beyond access alone and focus on what enables women to complete demanding qualifications and build long-term careers. Initiatives such as encouraging girls to study mathematics and science, providing bursaries, and inspiring young women to pursue engineering careers have opened important doors. However, access to higher education is only the beginning of the journey, and more support is needed to ensure students succeed.
Engineering remains one of South Africa's most demanding university qualifications, with many students requiring extended curricula to ensure academic success. These pathways improve completion rates but also increase the financial investment required from bursary providers and students. Funding tuition alone is rarely enough to ensure success; a combination of financial assistance, academic readiness, mentoring, and psychosocial support is necessary.
The Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) has seen that student success depends on a combination of financial assistance, academic readiness, mentoring, and psychosocial support. These interventions are particularly important in demanding disciplines such as engineering, where the academic workload, pace, and pressure can be significant. Supporting students through these challenges is not simply about improving individual outcomes; it is about protecting South Africa's investment in scarce skills.
While women are increasingly participating in STEM education, they remain underrepresented within the profession itself. The Department of Higher Education and Training data suggest that participation in engineering studies has become more balanced over time, yet women still comprise only a small proportion of registered engineering professionals. This suggests that expanding access alone will not close the gender gap.
Career guidance forms an important part of the educational journey, and better diagnostic assessments and career guidance at school level could help learners make more informed choices before enrolling in costly and demanding STEM programmes. Mentoring, counselling, academic development, and peer support should be viewed as essential components of student success rather than optional additions to a bursary.
Closing the gender gap in engineering will require collaboration across the education ecosystem, including schools, universities, funders, employers, and professional bodies. Scholarships remain an essential starting point, but if South Africa is serious about building a more inclusive engineering profession while addressing its scarce-skills shortage, it must invest in the full student journey.
Key points
- South Africa needs 60,000 more engineers to support infrastructure development, industrial growth, and innovation.
- Women account for only around 16% of registered engineering professionals in South Africa.
- Supporting students through their educational journey, including mentoring and psychosocial support, is crucial to ensuring their success in engineering.
