Open to final year students in the fields of mechanical, electrical, industrial and mechatronics engineering, the competition invites entrants to submit a one-page abstract of their automotive or production-related project or thesis. The top three contestants will present their projects to a panel of judges, which will determine the winner based on the project's innovation, technical excellence and relevance to the local automotive sector.
"It's extremely difficult for engineering students to break into this field since opportunities in South Africa are limited," said CAR's technical editor, Nicol Louw. "We have long wanted to get involved at university level to encourage prospective automotive engineers and to give them a platform to get into the industry. The challenge allows us to do that."
The winner will join GM's programme in Port Elizabeth from March to December 2013, receive a salary and possibly relocation assistance. The ten month contract will include mentoring, rotational training and access to study materials from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Business School.
Edgar Lourencon, head of GM sub-Saharan Africa, said GM was proud to partner with CAR's innovative initiative. "South Africa lags behind other emerging countries in terms of developing engineers. The challenge reinforces the important role engineers play now and in the future in developing the important skills that support the engineering of our vehicles to meet local market requirements."
Application forms for the challenge are available on www.carmag.co.za. Entries close on 16 November.
Contact: Shelly van Zyl
Tel: +27 21 530 3207
shelly@ramsaymedia.co.za
