Martin & East

About Martin & East

Martin & East is one of the older civil engineering and construction companies in South Africa. It has more than 70 years of experience in building and maintaining infrastructure. Its work includes bulk earthworks and landfills, bridges and concrete structures, road construction and rehabilitation, pipelines and underground services, and low-cost housing services. It also does crushing and screening, erosion protection and gabions, and synthetic playing fields.

How Martin & East supports students

The company does not offer a standalone bursary. Instead, it combines a paid gap year with a bursary. Matric learners first spend a year on site, and only then move to university funding. The idea is simple. Both sides see whether civil engineering suits the young person before years of study are paid for.

In the gap year, candidates earn a salary. They are placed on a Construction Roadworks and Supervision learnership and rotate through several construction disciplines. For example, they may spend time on earthworks, bridges, road surfacing or pipeline projects. This hands-on exposure is rare for someone who has just left school. Funding for the degree follows the gap year. In the most recent advert, the company named Civil Engineering study at the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the University of Pretoria and Nelson Mandela University. The award depends on two things: overall site performance during the gap year, and acceptance into an approved programme at one of those institutions.

What to know before applying

The programme is aimed at South African citizens who are currently in Matric. Recent requirements asked for at least 60% in Mathematics (or Mathematical Literacy or Technical Mathematics, as stated in the advert) and in Physical Science. Applicants must also be willing to complete the gap year and must intend to study a civil engineering qualification, such as a BSc, BEng, BEng Tech or diploma.

Applications are made by email. Candidates normally send a certified ID copy, their June and latest Matric results and a CV. The advert for the 2027 gap year closed on 30 October 2026, and a new cycle opens in a later year. Dates and email details can change, so confirm them on the Martin & East website before you send anything.

The programme works as a pipeline into the company's own projects. Read any agreement carefully before you sign, and ask about any service period, because the public adverts do not describe one in detail. Finally, remember that the gap year is real work on construction sites. Treat it as a long job interview, because site performance decides who receives the bursary.