National Research Foundation Annual Report 2008 / 2009 [Part 2]

20 NRFimpact report 2008/09A partner in powerThe NRF’s industry partner in this endeavour is national electricity utility, Eskom, which provides additionalfunding in the form of a fellowship and research activity costs. The students also have access to Eskom’sfacilities and technical experts, allowing them the opportunity to gain practical industry knowledge.Why would a technocratic organisation concern itself with the development of academics? Accordingto Yashin Brijmohan, Technical Capacity Development Manager at Eskom, the answer is simple: oneacademic can develop several students who are potentially future Eskom employees. “We are acutelyaware of the existing skills shortages, but Eskom is also taking a longer-term view in terms of skillsdevelopment. In doing so, we realised that the current status at universities will not deliver the skills ourindustry will need in future. Higher education institutions would require an increasing level of industrysupport.”In response, the organisation designed and implemented a broad Tertiary Education SupportProgramme (TESP), and a research programme through which academics work on Eskom-relatedprojects. This is complemented by the BRAD programme which also supports Eskom’s bursar programme.Yashin is very clear about the focus of BRAD: “We are looking to develop future academics. To beconsidered for funding, the candidates must be intent on becoming full-time academics. We accept thatthere are no guarantees, but the academic intention and inclination have to be there from the start.”BRAD was piloted in 2003 and formalised in 2008. The three-party contract between the NRF, Eskom,and the universities will be reviewed in 2011.The BRAD programme addresses one of the NRF’s strategic goals, namely to “create a representativescience workforce in South Africa”. “It is a cornerstone of our efforts to build the human capital base for aknowledge economy that is vital for progress in our country,” concludes Dr Mgwebi.