With less than a month before the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2024 exhibition opens its doors for business, an important exhibition component needs R3 million to participate properly.
The component is the AAD Youth Development Programme (YDP), which has set itself the target of bringing 12 000 learners from what the exhibition organisers call previously disadvantaged communities to Air Force Base (AFB) Waterkloof in Centurion between 18 and 22 September.
At its core the YDP gives young people usually still at school an opportunity to be up close and personal with the aviation and defence sectors, both South African as well as exhibitors from elsewhere in Africa and internationally.
Top of the AAD wish list for this year’s exhibition are five thousand scientific calculators and a similar number of “Oxford mathematics sets” to stimulate minds. To spread the aviation/defence career possibilities as widely as possible, YDP organisers envisage bringing 70 young men and women from the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape provinces along with 40 from the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces to the SA Air Force (SAAF) base home to, among others, its VIP squadron (21 Squadron) along with 28, 41 and 44 Squadrons.
Part of the R3 million shortfall is to provide healthy meals for those visiting AAD as part of the YDP. Outstanding is funding for 1 500 meals at R107 each.
Donations to the YDP will, according to YDP chair Kholisile Khumalo, nurture future talent for the South African aviation and defence industries and contribute to the personal growth of those attending.
In 2022, some 9 000 youth attended AAD.
Youth Development Programme Chairperson Kholisile Khumalo said the youth programme creates awareness about careers in the defence and aviation sectors, provides a platform for the youth to interact with the defence and aviation sectors, assists learners in identifying bursary opportunities, supports the promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics at schools and helps graduates in engineering and science connect with the defence and aviation sectors for vacation work and internships.
AAD is one of the top six global defence exhibitions, and the theme for this year’s edition is Exploring new paths, sharing solutions, showcasing innovation and capability’.
More on contributions to the Youth Development Programme and how they can be made can be requested from [email protected] or 079 496 1652.
