Background
of the Jeff Daniels
Foundation
The Jeff Daniels Foundation came into being in
the last quarter of 2022 as the brainchild of Jeff
Daniels, managing director of Daveng Consulting
Engineers. An ardent champion for youth
development, Jeff believes in working hard, being
committed, sticking to what you know (and are
good at) and reaping the fruits of your own labour.
Jeff’s drive to give back and leave a sustainable
future and industry for the next generation
led to him establishing the foundation. In
the repurposed words of US actor Denzel
Washington, it is a platform through which
beneficiaries will be able to not just aspire to
make a living but to make a difference.
Shortage of
engineers
South Africa has a shortage of engineers. ECSA reports that South Africa only has one engineer for every 3 100 people. Seen against Germany’s ratio of 1:200, there is clearly room for improvement.
Insufficient
representation
South Africa’s engineering industry also needs better representation in diversity. ECSA’s 2020/21 annual report informs less than 30% of people of colour and only 7.5% females are registered engineering professionals in ECSA’s database
Addressing
a real need
The foundation aims to address a very real need in South Africa to increase the national numbers of professional engineering technologists to narrow the gap internationally.