A website has been set up to introduce schoolchildren to the Gautrain and other big engineering projects in a bid to encourage them to take up careers in engineering and related fields.

Flatscreen computers access the newly developed Gautrain website, MyTrain

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FUNKY yet educational website was launched by Bombela Consortium, the company building the Gautrain, at Kingsmead College Junior School on Tuesday, 23 October.

With work on the Rosebank station going on right on the school's doorstep, the noise can be deafening. The new MyTrain website will go some way to explaining what all the fuss is about.

Girls from the school in Melrose took a few hours off their normal day to learn more about the MyTrain website, which targets learners who are not yet in grade nine, in a bid to introduce them to the various careers and skills needed to complete a big infrastructure project like the Gautrain. It is in grade nine that schoolchildren need to make their subject choices for the last three years of school.

Among the guests at the launch was the Gauteng MEC for public transport, roads and works, Ignatius Jacobs. "The site is very interactive, hip and funky and one learns on the spot," Jacobs said. "Once you click on the page, you are taken on an amazing journey."

A portion of Kingsmead's library has been turned over to computers, and with the MyTrain website they will be able to find out information about the Gautrain and other related engineering news.

Third site
The MyTrain site is the third website under the Gautrain domain. The others are the main Gautrain website and the Kids Gautrain website, which is targeted at younger children.

The site's objectives include skills development in the maths, science, technology and engineering sectors. It aims to create awareness and better understanding of the skills South Africa needs, and targets learners who are at the age when they need to consider the most appropriate school subjects for their chosen careers.

It will be updated regularly with engineering-related news.

"We need young girls like you to have interest in the field of engineering because at this point the boys are dominating. And, anyway, the engineers we have are getting old and you guys must replace them," Jacobs said.

Neatly dressed in their green blazers, the girls made their way to the Rosebank Station construction site, which is next to their school, for a brief tour with the MEC. Each learner was given a gold Gautrain helmet for protection while on site.

The well-behaved young girls showed much interest during the tour as the MEC made regular stops to explain what was going on. They asked plenty of questions, such as how many people were working on the project, how fast the train would travel and if such a project would be undertaken in other provinces.

Impressive progress
A learner, Martine Iigner, was impressed with progress. "A lot of work has been done since the first term. I remember walking on this bridge going to a netball match and not much was done then, but now it's like wow," she said.

Jeanne Gildenhys, another learner, said that Jacobs had answered all the questions they had asked and now they understood exactly what was going on and how the Gautrain would work once it was finished.

"We saw a need to take the learners on a site visit because we want them to understand how big this project is and also indicate to them the kind of skills they would need to tackle a project such as this," said Barbara Jensen, the provincial communications director for Gautrain.

Jacobs also encouraged the young girls to use public transport. "We are working hard towards improving public transport because the earth is experiencing problems due to cars that pollute it. Using too many private cars contributes to greenhouse gases and we can reduce these by using public transport."

The government was trying to make public transport more efficient and more affordable for everyone to use, he said.

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