South Durban residents continue to benefit from Engen’s commitment to community upliftment, with another 72 members of the community recently graduating from the Engen Community Computer School - equipped with vital digital skills to help them navigate the modern job market.

Engen’s free, four-month computer skills course aims to boost digital literacy and open doors to employment and learnership opportunities for unemployed residents of South Durban.

Since its launch in 2009, the Engen Community Computer School has empowered 3,461 individuals, offering free basic computer training that has proven instrumental in helping graduates secure employment, gain access to further education, or qualify for learnerships.

The latest graduation, held at the Blue Roof Life Space in Wentworth on 22 August 2025, highlighted the programme’s enduring legacy of creating pathways to opportunity.

With valuable new digital skills, graduates are better positioned to pursue meaningful employment, learnerships or further their education,” said Sim Manqina, Engen's Transformation and Stakeholder Engagement Manager.

Changing lives through digital skills

The Engen Computer School’s track record continues to impress. Of the May 2025 graduates, who commenced their four-month course at the start of the year, there are already notable achievements with: 21% employed, 5% in learnerships, and 16% pursuing further studies.

Over the duration of the course, learners grow in both confidence and competence.  Many who once doubted themselves graduate with a renewed sense of purpose and a practical skillset that transforms their futures.

Inspiring success stories

Graduates continue to prove how their new computer skills translate into real jobs:

• Sandile Sokhela: Now part of a bridge-building project on the Eastern Cape coast says the course was invaluable, equipping him with the skills needed to handle all the administrative aspects of his work.
• Chantal Isaacs: After completing the course, she was selected for a Film and TV Production learnership with the eThekwini Municipality. She credits her Engen training for giving her the computer literacy needed to thrive in a tech-driven industry.
• Monique Fisher: Now working as an administrator and office manager at the Wentworth Skills Centre in Secunda shared: “I put my computer skills to use every single day. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity you have provided to the community - I feel truly grateful.”

Recent graduates have secured employment across a variety of companies including Engen, Austerville Spar, District Insurance Brokers, AVBOB Insurance, Environ Clean, Nutun Call Centre, Bay Union, the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), and BCC Call Centre. Others have taken up roles as educator assistants, safety officers or joined learnership programmes.

Engen’s commitment to education

Building on this foundation, Engen has expanded its offering through the Engen Global Citizen Development Programme. As part of this initiative, 17 graduates from the December 2024 intake are more than halfway through a year-long accredited ICT learnership, which combines technical training with workplace experience. On completion, learners will graduate with ICT qualifications at NQF Levels 4 and 5 in technical support and systems development.

Olwethu Mdabula, Engen’s CSI Manager, congratulated the August 2025 graduates: “Engen remains steadfast in its belief that digital literacy is a gateway to empowerment. We are proud to walk alongside our communities as they build resilience and the capacity to thrive in an evolving world.”

This programme supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education and complements Engen’s other education-focused initiatives such as the Engen Maths and Science Schools (EMSS), which have provided free STEM supplementary classes to thousands of grade 10-12 learners nationwide for the past 34 years.

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