'It’s amazing to be part of this new team'

Ntombifuthi has worked at Vopak Terminal Durban since 2008 when she was part of the first learnership group. “I always wanted to be a chemical engineer so when I heard the company was looking for ‘learners’, I applied for the learnership program. It’s proved to be the best thing I could have done. Vopak has given me the opportunity to study and to grow, which has made a world of difference in my life.”

Education

“Vopak’s learnership program rescued me, when I started I only had my Matric. I was the first female Operator at Vopak Terminal Durban. Once I started earning money, I went back to school to study Operations management. I worked shifts and managed to graduate with distinctions. I’ve currently moved on to pursue a Master’s degree. For me education has been so much more than certificates, it has been a catalyst that has changed me for the better and it has shown people around me what possibilities there are. People in my community and even colleagues sometimes tell me that they went back to school because of me. I think that’s just amazing.”

Women

“I have just moved to Lesedi, and I'm now the first female Shiftleader at Vopak in South Africa. Lesedi will be the first Vopak terminal where we will be working with fifty percent women and fifty percent men. It’s amazing to be part of this new team. A few colleagues from Durban are also moving to Lesedi and there will be a lot of new people. I’m very grateful Vopak continues to invest in women and girls because the benefits of women working flow not only to them but to everyone around them too. Things are changing and I’m so excited about it."