SGS Matrolab is the materials testing arm of SGS in South Africa. Matrolab was founded in 1970 as a Pretoria-based company that tests engineering and construction materials for consulting engineers, construction companies and public authorities. When SGS announced the takeover in November 2015, Matrolab ran more than 30 commercial and on-site laboratories in South Africa and employed over 400 people. SGS completed the purchase in February 2016, according to SGS’s own acquisition announcement.
No SGS bursary on the careers portal right now
SGS advertises its South African vacancies, internships and learnerships on its SGS careers portal on SmartRecruiters. On 2 October 2026 the portal listed about 90 South African openings and none of them was a bursary. SGS has not announced a 2027 bursary round.
In early 2025, listing sites carried a civil engineering bursary from SGS Matrolab aimed at students living in Emalahleni (Witbank) in Mpumalanga. SGS has since removed that posting and we could not confirm its requirements or funding on any SGS page, so we do not repeat them here. If SGS runs the bursary again, the advert should appear on the SmartRecruiters portal with an Apply button.
Other ways into civil materials testing at SGS
The SGS portal does show entry routes that suit civil engineering students and recent diploma graduates:
- Materials Testers for its civil engineering laboratories, advertised in February 2026 for several locations.
- Internships in fields such as health and safety, quality and analytical chemistry.
- A YES Programme post in Pretoria, part of the national Youth Employment Service.
Search the portal for “civil” or “bursary” every few weeks, because SGS removes postings once they close.
Civil engineering funders with confirmed rounds
Students in Mpumalanga who want to study civil engineering can compare the SANRAL bursary for road engineering, the MISA technical bursary for municipal infrastructure, and the AfriSam bursary from the cement and aggregates producer.