Architect and Builder August 2017 | Page 8

NEWSWATCH THE LATEST NEWS AND PRODUCTS FROM THE BUILDING INDUSTRY NEWSWORTHY ROCLA TURNS 100 This year Rocla, one of South Africa’s leading manufacturers of precast concrete products, cele- brates 100 years of excellence. The Infrastructure Specialist Group (ISG) was formed in 2013 when Rocla, Technicrete, and Ocon Brick were acquired by a consortium consisting of private equity firm Capitalworks, RMB Ventures, Pan African Group and senior exec- utives within the companies. ISG Chief Executive Officer, Albert Weber, said “Reaching this mile- stone of 100 years of service and DHK GOES FOR GOLD dhk has kicked off a new partnership with the internationally recognised non-profit organisation Go for Gold with two beneficiaries from its award-winning education-to-employment programme joining the firm’s Cape Town studio as interns. Go for Gold tackles youth unemployment, education and skills development in under-privileged communities with its innovative four phase model that provides a fully integrated personal and professional developmental pipeline. Initially, Grade 11 & 12 learners are given the opportunity to boost their education with extra lessons in maths, science, life skills and leadership development training. After matriculation, participants take part in a year-long internship with partner companies which provides them with exposure to the built environment and enables them to determine their course of study the following year. An added advantage is that partner companies get to know their bursary candidates before investing in their tertiary studies. The beneficiaries of the programme enjoy bursary support and the secure knowledge of guaranteed employment once they graduate. It is this holistic approach and sustainable long-term strategy that sets Go for Gold apart and ensures the programme’s high success rate for its beneficiaries and partner companies. dhk has been running a successful bursary scheme for many years and the new partnership with Go for Gold will run in parallel with the company’s existing programme. Jacqui Barhouch, Associate and Head of Communications at dhk who spearheads the company’s involvement in the programme, said “With Go for Gold we’re able to make a meaningful difference in the lives of talented young people while opening up the world of architecture to students who may not have even been aware of this as a career option.” dhk is the first architecture company to partner with Go for Gold and the firm is challenging others to take part, “We want to encourage other architects to get involved with this programme and help build a pool of bright young architects from all walks of life,” said Barhouch. Go for Gold is approaching companies within the South African built environment to join the programme and make use of its developmental pipeline to secure graduates for industry who are work-ready and have practical experience within the sector. As an NPO, Go for Gold is able to offer benefits that complement companies BBBEE requirements. Visit www.goforgold.org.za or contact Karen Rademeyer – [email protected] technological excellence is a mile- stone we all feel proud of. It is an amazing achievement. Rocla’s technical team offers customers a solution reliability they can count on, particularly with customer non- standard requirements. Our tech- nical innovation is second to none and enables us to continue to build upon our rich history of excellence in a market where we have become the preferred choice for precast concrete manufacturing”. All of Rocla’s products are ISO 9001/2008 certified and have the applicable SANS recognition. www.rocla.co.za 8 News Watch