In order to accomplish the United Nations Sustainable Global Development Goals, science and gender equality must be prioritised. ABB initiated its Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2030 in 2021, along with its Sustainability Strategy 2030, with the intention of enlisting the services of the most qualified individuals in order to accomplish its own sustainability objectives. Diversity increases the available pool of abilities while also bringing in new ideas and a creative spirit, which leads to greater innovation that helps make the world a better place. ABB is always challenging the limits of what is possible via the efforts of its employees.
The Diversity and Inclusion 2030 targets set by ABB include hiring graduates from 50 percent of the company’s universities, having 25 percent women in ABB leadership (19 percent by 2025), having policies that are well established, making yearly improvements to the inclusion score on the employees’ engagement survey, and providing 100 percent access to employee resource and affinity groups.
ABB is dedicated to finding solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing the world at this time. This is only feasible because the company employs extraordinary individuals who work tirelessly toward achieving this objective, based on the belief that a culture that values diversity, inclusiveness, and equal opportunity is essential to the success of a business.
ABB is highlighting four individuals who are making a significant contribution to the success of the company in numerous ways. These contributions range from leading teams to bring cutting-edge technologies to market to working with customers across a variety of industries and sectors. International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) takes place on June 23. ABB is celebrating this day by highlighting these individuals.
The field of engineering has historically been dominated by men to a far greater extent than it should be, with the number of female engineers both in colleges and in the workforce being significantly lower than it should be. ABB has been working on increasing the number of possibilities available to women in the engineering field in order to increase diversity.
A variety of ABB’s skill development efforts can be found in Southern Africa. These projects are a reaction to the high unemployment rates in South Africa and the shortage of female engineers in the country. P1/P2 engineering training, ABB Engineer in Training, and the ABB Learnership for Disabled Graduates are a few examples of these opportunities. Others include ABB JDF scholarships, ABB learnerships, a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Zambia, and an ABB Engineer in Training position.
Customers of ABB are able to maintain a competitive advantage because to the high quality and forward-thinking inventiveness of the engineering in the company’s products, solutions, and service offerings. Working in engineering at ABB means contributing to the development of cutting-edge technologies that are making the world a better place to live and more affluent.
“Women in engineering should never be contrite about their abilities and capabilities, and they should never apologise for being women. Nor should they apologise for their gender.” It is obligatory upon the modern women of our society to break through the glass barrier that society has set. According to Tender and Quotations Specialist Samantha Zitha, women shouldn’t be afraid of being the ones to start a change, whether that change is needed in society or in the corporate sphere.
“Young women who are joining fields that are traditionally dominated by males should never do themselves the damage of downplaying their skills and capabilities in order to win over their male colleagues. It is essential that they make their presence known and present the strongest possible case for themselves. In order for women to be successful beyond their wildest aspirations, they need to distinguish themselves and move beyond of their comfort zones.
Samantha’s credentials in the field of electrical engineering include a Bachelor of Arts degree and a National Diploma. Her responsibilities in the medium voltage secondary switchgear include providing clients with solutions that are practicable, favourable to the market, and competitive, in addition to maintaining customer contacts and managing projects. In addition to that, she has started her training to become a sales expert so that she may play an even larger role at ABB.
In the span of five years, Samantha has been recognised for her leadership potential and has been invited to participate in the ABB Life-Leadership Program in Dubai in 2019. This programme is designed to help participants better understand and integrate the ABB culture, strategy, and business model into their day-to-day work, as well as strengthen the connection between themselves and the company and create value for both parties. She was able to share her expertise and experience in a hands-on setting with bright young minds originating from all over the Africa and Middle East area as a result of this chance.
Engineer-in-training Mmatseleng In addition to being a candidate for her Master’s degree, Precious Lefoka holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Industrial Engineering. Her previous job was in the paint manufacturing industry, and she is currently working for ABB, so she has approximately two years of experience working in industrial engineering. According to Mmatseleng, the defining moment of his career was when he was given the opportunity to lead the Quality Wins initiative, which aimed to streamline manufacturing procedures and enhance ergonomics.
When she first started working at ABB, her primary duty was to absorb information in preparation for a future career as an engineer. She freely acknowledges, “I had no idea what a switchgear was until recently.” At this point, she is serving in the capacity of an improvement officer. “On a daily basis, I focus on making a few tweaks here and there around the manufacturing floor. In order to simplify our operations, I collaborate with the departments of engineering, manufacturing, supply chain logistics, and logistics. All of the changes that have been made by Mmatseleng until this point, whether it be a change in layout or a different work method, have resulted in cost- and time-savings for ABB’s bottom line.
Mmatseleng attributes the difficulties she encounters in her profession to the difficulty that individuals might have in maintaining any new work practises that are put into place as the root cause of these difficulties. She adds that because she is a woman working in an atmosphere that is historically controlled by men, men may be hesitant to take commands from her, especially given the fact that she is so young. Her piece of guidance to women who are considering a career path that is comparable to her own is straightforward: “Love what you do, and you will never work a day in your life.” This may seem like a cliche, but I really like what I do for a living. It makes me pleased to get up every morning with the knowledge that I will enhance the professional profile of at least one other person. You should constantly be willing to learn, since the field of industrial engineering offers a wide variety of opportunities. Never cease educating yourself and challenging your understanding.
Project engineer Mannana Johanna Nape attended the Vaal University of Technology, where she studied electrical engineering and earned both a National Diploma and a Bachelor of Technology degree. In 2012, she started working with ABB as a graduate trainee, during which time she gained expertise in control and instrumentation (C&I) in a variety of locations, including coal power stations and solar projects. She has been promoted to the position of project engineer at the Kusile coal-fired power station in Mpumalanga, which is the fourth largest coal-fired power station in the world. She is accountable for carrying out fault-finding on control systems and field instruments as part of her role as a project engineer based in commissioning. In addition, she is responsible for commissioning field equipment. In addition to that, she has the additional versatility of being able to provide assistance to the engineering manager.
In addition to the fact that she works in an industry that is predominately occupied by men, one of the challenges she faces is the fact that she is required to work twice as hard as her male coworkers in order to prove and demonstrate her capabilities in the industry. Furthermore, she is underappreciated in a role that is traditionally seen as requiring physical strength. The counsel that Mannana gives is unequivocal: “Do not back down. You should pursue your ambitions and have faith in what you are doing. She applauds ABB for establishing mentoring programmes that not only support young women but also help them interact with related networks. These programmes are lauded for their presence at ABB. Within this context, Mannana has been instrumental in the development of a mentorship programme that is named “Promoting and Improving Gender Diversity.”
The degrees of Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering (Process Control and Instrumentation), Management Advancement Program (MAP), and Master of Business Administration are all held by Ramathabatha Joyce Moganedi (MBA). During her time with ABB, which has already spanned close to three years, she has been recognised and nominated for the roles of PAEN Segment Lead for Water, ABB Energies Industries Ambassador, and MEA HUB Team-Adaptive Execution Champion.
The ABB Power and Water Market in the Sub-Saharan area is under Joyce’s sphere of responsibility, and she is responsible for the market’s overall growth. Among these are the formulation of strategies from the perspective of the marketing of solutions. Her obstacles are twofold: first, the fact that the power industry is controlled by men, and second, the fact that she is a woman working in an atmosphere that is focused on technical sales. Her words of wisdom to other women are to have self-assurance, to persevere, and to strive to have a good and long-lasting effect on the lives of other people.
INWED, an initiative of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), will be marking its ninth year of existence in the year 2022. According to the data available as of June 2021, women make up only 16.5 percent of the engineering workforce. INWED raises awareness of the fact that female engineers all around the world are still grossly underrepresented in their fields by providing them with a platform. Because it is the sole platform of its type, it plays an extremely important part in boosting the number of young women and girls who pursue careers in engineering.