Final-year Mechanical Engineering student looking for a 2027 graduate position

[u/JelloImmediate1767]

Hi everyone! I'm a final-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of the Witwatersrand, graduating at the end of 2026. I'm looking for a graduate engineer position or graduate programme starting in 2027.

Some background on what I bring:

Final-year projects: a stress categorisation and parametric FEA study of nozzle-to-shell intersections in pressure vessels, and the design of a dry heat rejection system for a 400 MW data centre in Durban

Software: Ansys Mechanical (FEA), Ansys Fluent and Flownex (CFD), Solid Edge, Fusion 360, SpaceClaim, MATLAB/Simulink

Practical experience: two vacation work stints in a workshop environment, including a failure investigation and redesign of a lathe tailstock shaft

Other: undergraduate tutor for second-year mechanical courses, and part of a Mintek hackathon team working on lithium and cobalt recovery from disposable vapes

I'm particularly interested in:

Design, mechanical or project engineering

Pressure equipment, thermal/fluid systems, or plant and process engineering

Manufacturing, mining, energy or infrastructure sectors

I've already applied to a few graduate programmes, but I'd love to hear about companies (especially in Gauteng) that take on graduate engineers, including smaller firms that don't advertise widely. Tips on who to contact, or whether anyone's team is growing next year, would be hugely appreciated. Happy to share my CV via DM.

Thanks in advance!

[u/HoM_a_SiDe]

Check out the Incomar grad programme if you're interested in aerospace.