Life as a young metallurgist
A METALLURGICAL engineer is trained in the extraction, refining, alloying and fabrication of metals.
The See Yourself in Steel campaign aims to encourage women to see the industry as a vital part of the economy and one offering viable career options. Despite strides made by such campaigns, the South African steel industry remains male-dominated. To challenge this narrative, Veer Steel Mills – a division of the Alfeco Group – is focused on bringing women into the industry through work readiness programmes such as learnerships, apprenticeships and internships.
One of Veer Steel Mills’ strategies is centred on providing portable skills to previously disadvantaged groups such as women and the youth, who could not easily access work opportunities in the steel industry.
Brunice Taylor broke into the industry in 2019 when she was inducted as an apprentice in the Apprenticeship Training Programme for Metallurgical Engineering, that turned out to be a key element in completing her National Diploma in Engineering Metallurgy at the University of Johannesburg. Afterwards, the company gave her a permanent position.
According to Taylor, the duty is on organisations such as Veer Steel Mills to be game changers in the domestic steel industry to upskill and give opportunities to women in these capitalintensive industries.
“I’ve always wanted to pursue an unconventional career. When I learnt about metallurgy from a family member, I knew I’d found an uncommon field filled with intricate research methodologies within the steel industry. Through my research, I found that this career would present different problems and solutions to quality control in manufacturing, and would be the perfect platform to learn the trade secrets from different types of engineers,” says Taylor.
Although qualified and possessing experience in her field, Taylor still faces challenges from men who question being led by a woman.