Imveliso Foundation is a youth-focused empowerment initiative established by Solid Green with the purpose of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the sustainability sector. The foundation is committed to nurturing the next generation of Black female leaders by creating pathways into sustainability-related careers and supporting their educational and professional development.

The Imveliso Foundation invites applications for its Bursary and Internship Programme, aimed at supporting and empowering young Black South African women who are passionate about sustainability and the built environment.

What the Programme Offers

Successful candidates will receive:

• Financial assistance to cover tuition for a year.
• A structured internship placement providing hands-on experience within the built environment sector
• Mentorship and professional development opportunities with industry leaders focused on sustainability

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

• Be Black South African females under the age of 35
• Be enrolled and registered in a final year or postgraduate program within the built environment (e.g. Architecture, Urban Planning, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Environmental Design, or related fields) at a South African University
• Demonstrate a strong interest or focus on sustainability, including:
  • Research in sustainability
  • A major or specialization in sustainability
  • Enrolment in a sustainability-focused program

What We’re Looking For

The Imveliso Foundation seeks candidates who are:

• Committed to advancing sustainable practices in the built environment
• Dedicated to creating social and environmental impact through their work
• Driven, innovative, and eager to contribute to transformation in the industry to a more sustainable future

How to Apply

Submit the following:

• A motivation letter (max 500 words) outlining your academic interests, career goals commitment to sustainability and why you should
• A current academic transcript
• A certified copy of your ID
• A curriculum vitae (CV)

Email applications to: info@imveliso-foundation.co.za cc: admin@imveliso-foundation.co.za

Deadline for applications: 30 March 2026

The post Imveliso Foundation Bursary Opportunity & Internship Programme appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

I am currently in my final year of study towards my BEng Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of Pretoria. I joined Solid Green Consulting at the beginning of the year to do my vacation work for a period of six weeks. I worked in the energy modelling and simulations department under Alex Varughese and Jeffy Palamattam, and learnt to use two different energy-modelling softwares, namely DesignBuilder and EDGE.

At first it was quite stressful and difficult but, with time, the more I used the softwares, the more it became easier to understand everything. These energy-modelling softwares helped me gain understanding and insight on how to model buildings and understand a lot of different concepts such as lighting, glazing, shading, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and building materials – among many others.

The work that I learned in my thermodynamic modules in 2nd and 3rd year acted as the basic building blocks that assisted me in understanding certain concepts such as heat transfer, HVAC and heat balance, and also helped me while analysing the results displayed after simulations.

Heat transfer was a common concept displayed and it was also part of my syllabus, which made it easier to understand when applied in this context. An example of it could be seen when picking the glazing type for a project. This is an important concept for building design and simulation, and when calculating the WWR (window to wall ratio) as it is important to make sure that there is adequate heat and light transferred to the space.

In DesignBuilder, there were many different HVAC loops that could be added to create a cycle and these contained different components. These loops would be added according to the specific application required. I did not have much knowledge on some of these loops but in my thermodynamics modules, I learned about the refrigeration cycle and different components that would be found in these loops, such as a heat exchanger, boiler, condenser and pump. This knowledge helped me a lot in understanding how the different loops worked. Overall, it was really interesting to see how the theoretical information learned is put into practice.

Besides the work experience gained, I also learned a lot of other things. The most important was communication and teamwork. It is so easy to make a mistake when you are working with a team of people so I learnt that communication is very important as one small thing left out creates problems which means that things need to be redone and time gets wasted. Everyone is under pressure to get things done, so you need to try your best to make sure that you listen and communicate well so that things move smoothly.

I would like to thank everyone at Solid Green who helped me and made it a very valuable experience that taught me a lot. Everyone was very kind and always ready to help whenever it was needed and, although I have not yet seen the new office due to COVID-19 restrictions, I still felt welcomed.

The post Insights from a Solid Green Intern appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Mapula Matlakala

Solid Green is an amazing environment – from the office space and the atmosphere to the amazing people I work with. The team has been patient with me and in a short space of time I have learnt a lot, particularly how to incorporate design, construction and operational practices in order to reduce the harmful effects of buildings on the environment. This whole experience has advanced and enhanced my abilities to solve problems.

I have mainly been working on climate and sunlight hours and some energy models for projects like Garden City Business Park in Nairobi, Kenya. Understanding Building Physics is vital as technology in the construction industry is developing quickly. Being taught how to use the various modelling software puts me at an advantage as a Construction student and I now understand how important is to design high performance buildings that are both comfortable and functional.

Solid Green team out in nature for some team building.

Early in my internship, I also enrolled in the Green Building Council South Africa’s New Buildings Accredited Professional course, which gave me a better and broader understanding of how to implement green building strategies.

I am currently working on a Living Building Challenge project in Cape Town and have been quite involved with the Biophilic Design aspect of the Challenge. This has informed my decision to study Biophilia as my research topic for my Honours later this year. It is an exciting and very important topic that has given me the opportunity to think outside the box, become innovative, and grow as a professional. The fact that the Living Building Challenge uses the metaphor of a flower fits perfectly with what I believe in – the incorporation of Beauty, Health and Place with Sustainability creates biophilic designs that bring people and nature together.

Mapula at her station in the Solid Green offices.

I believe it is my duty to make sure that everything that I do professionally has a good impact and contributes to the development of our country through quality and sustainable design as well as through best building practises. I enjoy coming up with innovative ideas and pushing the envelope in terms of thinking long term and thinking sustainably. The Solid Green family has afforded me the opportunity to bring together my work as a construction manager and a sustainability consultant, and has placed me a step closer to achieving my goals.

The post Solid Green Internship: Mapula Matlakala appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.