Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. NINE students proudly graduated recently from the University of Zimbabwe, marking a significant milestone for the Fossil Contracting scholarship programme.
This initiative by Fossil Contracting has provided essential support, enabling these individuals to successfully navigate their educational journeys in the field of construction and engineering.
Among the university students who graduated, five are male, while four are female.
Currently, there are 41 university students on scholarship, while a combined 30 are primary and high school students.
Kudakwashe Mutedzi, one of the graduates, expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
“I would like to thank Fossil Contracting for supporting me through my journey as a student,” she said.
“They assisted me with accommodation, tuition fees, a laptop, and drawing boards. We learnt a lot during our training at the Trabablas Interchange project and the Harare-Chirundu Highway.
“We also had the opportunity to participate in various construction projects being undertaken by the company.”
Another graduate, Ryan Liwala, echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the impact of the scholarship on his education.
“From my first year to my final year, I was sponsored by Fossil Contracting,” he said.
“I want to thank Fossil Group CEO Mr Obey Chimuka for this opportunity, as well as the group human resources executive.
“The exposure we received through practical attachments was invaluable in preparing us for world-class construction.”
Added Liwala: “Some of us had 15 points from our Advanced Level studies, but we had nowhere to start from, and this scholarship came in handy in instilling hope in young people like us.”
Tafadzwa Samuriwo, another proud graduate, added that the programme played a huge role in assisting children from disadvantaged communities.
“I am proud to have graduated with the support of Fossil Group. The experience we gained was immense and has equipped us well for our future careers,” she added.
Fossil’s Group human resources executive Caleb Garura shared his satisfaction with the programme’s success.
“This is the first group to graduate under the scholarship, making this momentous. Of the nine graduates, six are young men, but tragically, one lost his life in a car accident two years ago,” he said.
“We also celebrate the three ladies who graduated, which aligns with our commitment to girls and women empowerment, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“We also celebrate the four ladies who graduated, which aligns with girl child education and women empowerment, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
Garura also emphasised Fossil’s commitment to human capital development:
“We have taken care of all the costs associated with their studies. During vacations, we deployed them to various construction sites for practical exposure and also trained them on soft skills through a ten-week program. We aim to groom complete engineers,” he added.
Fossil Contracting is involved in various other social responsibility activities, the funding of fees for orphans and the economically disadvantaged families across the country being one of them.
The thrust and impact of education on people is usually very significant and transcends generations.
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