Butterworth-born aeronautical engineer wants young girls to soar to new heights

Aeronautical engineer Linda Ngozwana. Supplied image.

Aeronautical engineer Linda Ngozwana. Supplied image.

Published Aug 14, 2021

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Johannesburg - Even as a child, aeronautical engineer Linda Ngozwana knew she was destined to break boundaries.

The 27-year-old from the small rural town of Butterworth in the Eastern Cape is aware of the responsibility she holds as a woman in this highly competitive industry, and through working with non-profit organisation The Girls Fly Programme in Africa (GFPA), hopes to inspire many other young girls from similar backgrounds to follow her example.

“Because of the lack of women in the field, it gives me great joy that I can be part of the movement that is aiming to inspire more women to join in. Engineering is still male dominated, but it’s the role and responsibility of how young girls and boys are raised that matter, the gender stereotypes that are associated with gender and how these predetermine what careers we ought to be in the future,” she told The Saturday Star this week.

Ngozwana’s passion for aviation began as a young girl, obsessed with adventure and equipped with an inquisitive mind.

“My choice of study path was influenced by my questioning mind and my desire to acquire the advanced problem-solving and efficiency-optimisation skills exhibited by most engineers I’ve had the opportunity to interact with,” she said.

Aeronautical engineer Linda Ngozwana. Supplied image.

“Being in an aircraft and having that thought of wonder or adventure that comes with being in a vessel that is flying amid or above the clouds.”

Her knack for maths and physics also lured her to aviation and engineering, and after completing her degree she got valuable experience at some of the biggest aviation firms, including Aerosud and Denel Aviation.

But Ngozwana admitted that cementing herself in the aeronautical engineering industry was a challenge and that it was a niche profession, particularly for a young woman from the rural Eastern Cape, to break into.

“When I finished university the opportunities were not so many.”

After completing a graduate programme in the health-technology industry for a year, she landed a job at Netherlands Airport Consultants, an aviation company of Royal HaskoningDHV, where she works as a junior airside systems engineer.

“I work in multidisciplinary projects that involve colleagues from the Netherlands and that has been a great learning experience. I have come to see the value of collaboration, teamwork and how to make it efficient in order to complete a project.”

The aeronautical engineer has also recently been selected as a Youth Delegate for Unite 2030.

“I feel so fortunate and proud to represent South Africa and to have been selected as a delegate.”

Aeronautical engineer Linda Ngozwana. Supplied image.

Ngozwana explained that as a Unite 2030 Youth Delegate, she is part of a team instrumental in organising the biggest youth generation in history to make the world a better place.

“We act as youth representatives for the Unite 2030 community, support and connect local grass-roots campaigns, amplify youth actions that are creating change, develop tools and programming to support young people everywhere to achieve the Global Goals, and accelerate solutions to the SDGs (sustainable development goals) that aim to develop the skills and amplify the voices of young changemakers and youth leaders from all over the world.”

The 27-year-old was also selected for the second cohort of the Youth Discovery Programmes , based on the outreach work she has been involved in, such as gender equality and quality education.

“I had the privilege of engaging with like-minded individuals on all-important issues such as the role of technology in developing countries, the importance of having women in stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) in Africa and equally throughout the world; and highlighting some of the breakthroughs women have accomplished in stem throughout history.”

Ngozwana has also hosted an event on how to better establish the space industry in developing nations.

Apart from her day job as an aeronautical engineer and her other philanthropy work, Ngozwana is particularly proud of her contributions to the GFPA, which provides information and skills development to high school and university students through programmes promoting aerospace and science, technology, engineering, art and maths.

“Some of our programmes instil design thinking, robotics and coding and raise awareness of space technology to pupils,” she said.

The organisation focuses on schools in underdeveloped areas and townships in South Africa, with the aim of providing knowledge and resources to youngsters, to persuade them to pursue a career in the stem industries.

“I’ve been with the foundation from my final year of study in 2018 and one of my highlights is the aviation and space camp each year where the pupils use design thinking and technology to invent, build and present solutions to current challenges in the aviation and space industry.

“‘This creates an environment where learners from diverse backgrounds, with a common interest in aviation and space, can meet and engage, and provide a fun yet educational programme, allowing the learners to discover more about aviation and space opportunities and encouraging them to pursue stem-related careers.”

Ngozwana hopes to see many more young female aeronautical engineers coming from South Africa and Africa, but believes much work still needs to be done to achieve this.

“We need to create a conducive environment of learning that is equal among girls and boys in society, with parents, teachers and in the workplace,” she said.

“It starts with creating this mindset from a young age, so by the time they get to university, it’s not an anomaly to pursue aeronautical engineering as it is with girls right now.”

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