UWP Consulting

About UWP Consulting

UWP Consulting is a multi-disciplinary consulting engineering firm that has worked in Southern Africa since 1972. It is a majority black-owned practice with its head office at Eton Office Park West in Bryanston, Johannesburg. The firm has about ten offices in South Africa, along with operations in Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and it employs roughly 250 people.

UWP designs and manages infrastructure for public and private clients. Its work covers civil and structural engineering, transportation, water and related disciplines. Roads, bridges, water networks and township services are typical examples of this kind of project. Clean water, safe roads and reliable drainage all start on a designer's desk, so the work suits students who enjoy practical problem solving and teamwork.

How UWP supports students

South Africa has long struggled to train enough civil engineers, particularly black and female graduates. UWP funds bursaries to help close that gap, and also to introduce students to the firm's way of working before they graduate. The programme is open to undergraduate students in a BSc Eng, BEng or BTech in civil engineering, and to postgraduate civil engineering students.

Published adverts list the following requirements. Applicants must be South African citizens with a matric certificate. They must study at an accredited university or university of technology. Undergraduates must have completed all first-year subjects. Preference goes to candidates from previously disadvantaged communities.

The bursary may cover registration and tuition fees, prescribed textbooks, stationery and printing, and accommodation. It can be renewed each year, depending on academic results. Bursars also get paid vacation work at UWP during university breaks. This gives them real design-office and site experience early on.

The firm also runs an in-house Blueprint Programme, which helps young engineers work towards professional registration once they have joined the industry. For a graduate, this guidance can shorten the road to registration with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

What to know before applying

Public information does not describe a fixed service bond of a set number of years. Instead, the vacation work and training form a pathway to possible employment at UWP after graduation. That makes the bursary more of a recruitment and development pipeline than a strict work-back contract. However, UWP can confirm the exact terms, so ask before you sign.

Closing dates and application steps change from year to year. Check the UWP website for the current round. Meanwhile, keep your academic record strong, since renewal depends on your results.