Skip to content 
About Us
About Go For Gold
Go for Gold is an award-winning education-to-employment public-private initiative.
Go for Gold was founded in 1999 through collaboration between companies in the Built Environment, the Western Cape Department of Education and Civil Society.
We give students from under-privileged communities the opportunity to enhance their education, transition through an internship year and onto tertiary education with guaranteed employment once they graduate.
The organisation’s four phase model creates skilled graduate professionals, who possess the self-belief to succeed.
Go for Gold has directly benefited thousands of South African youth (±450 annually) and enabled dozens of companies to attract and retain highly skilled, qualified personnel from disadvantaged communities.
Meet Our Board Of Directors
The structured roll-out of the program with the active involvement of partners has played a major role in the success of Go for Gold.
The board of Go for Gold includes experts from technical and academic backgrounds who provide guidance on how to effectively generate positive social impact for both youth and industry through the Go for Gold programme.
Mike van Coller
CHAIRMAN EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER - METAPIPE
Amanda Mtya
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER – UCT & GO FOR GOLD ALUMNI
Chrystal Poole
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER – H&I ENGINEERING
Keith Adams
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER - SUTHERLAND ENGINEERS
Chris Escreet
COOPTED BOARD MEMBER – MARTIN & EAST
Francis Chemaly
COOPTED BOARD MEMBER - H&I ENGINEERING
Werner Jerling
COOPTED BOARD MEMBER – ASLA
Vuyo Qubu
COOPTED BOARD MEMBER - STEFANUTTI STOCKS
Granville Stander
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER - WESTERN CAPE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Phumudzo Baloyi
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER - SMART CIVILS
Meet Our Staff Members
Bridget-Ann Mullins
NATIONAL DIRECTOR
Janelle Fielies
EDP PROGRAMME COORDINATOR
Hazel Arendse
LOGISTICS MANAGER
Ntokozo Duma
FINANCE
Noxolo Mgudlwa
JOHANNESBURG PROGRAMME MANAGER
Karen Rademeyer
FUNDRAISING & COMMUNICATION
Nicolette Vigeland
OPERATIONS AND NEW VENTURES MANAGER
Vuyo Mninzi
Student Support Coordinator - WLI & HE
Zuki Myira
Administrator and Alumni Coordinator
HR ADVISORY FORUM MEMBERS
Go for Gold partner companies Human Resource professionals are instrumental to the consistent success of our programme to meet market expectations.
Representatives from industry partner companies and tertiary representatives are invited to join the HR Advisory Forum, which meets every quarter to facilitate the important monitoring and evaluation function.
RECOGNITION AND AWARDS
Go for Gold’s Education to Employment model has been recognised both locally and internationally
AFRICA TALKS JOBS CONFERENCE, ADDIS ABABA
2017
In October 2017, Go for Gold was invited to present our programme for “best practise” in skills development at the African Union conference called “Africa Talks Jobs” in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference was organised by NEPAD and fifty-five African states, and the European Union attended. The conference was around the problematic disconnecting between career choices, skills development and high dropout rates or fail rates at universities around the continent. The Go for Gold model was identified as a developmental pipeline that pre-empts conditions leading to tertiary failures, especially through our unique Phase 2 year in the Go for Gold programme. We were also congratulated on effective partnerships that help strengthen outcomes on our programme.
WESTERN CAPE MINISTERIAL YOUTH EXCELLENCE AWARD
2015
In March 2023, Go for Gold was the Silver Award winner in the inaugural Western Cape Ministerial Youth Excellence Awards.
EDUCATION INNOVATOR RECOGNITION
2015
In September 2015 Go for Gold was recognised in the UCT Graduate School of Business Bertha Centre's Education Innovator Review as an innovative education programme.
UNASHAMEDLY ETHICAL AWARD
2014
Awarded an Unashamedly Ethical award in the category of Education, in recognition of our commitment and work in education for the people in the Western Cape.
IMPUMELELO GOLD AWARD
2005
In 2005 Go for Gold was awarded an Impumelelo Gold Award for innovation in education Go for Gold was recognised in the Mckinsey Centre for Government’s ‘Education to Employment’ global report, as 1 of 100 initiatives from around the world which are making the ‘education to employment’ model work. Go for Gold was the only African project to be mentioned in the report We were awarded a Certificate of Appreciation in category of Education, in recognition of our commitment and work in education for the people in the Western Cape
Go for Gold Staff Achievements
Extended Education Practitioner Training Programme (EEPTP) Finalist
2019
January 2019, 53 After School Practitioners from 34 organisations attended the Stellenbosch EEPTP Short Course. Our Phase 1 coordinator, Janelle Fielies was one of 5 finalists selected to take part in the Learning Tour in New York in September 2019.
BBQ Award Winner
Karen Rademeyer, our Fundraising and Communications Manager was nominated and won the Nedbank Group Limited Individual Transformation in Leadership Award at this year’s BBQ (Black Business Quarterly) Awards held at Emperor’s Palace on 15 March 2019. Go for Gold is very proud to have a staff member who was recognised for her 17 years of service transforming the lives of young black South Africans.