The first in a week-long series of graduation ceremonies kicked off at the Cape Town campus on Monday.

CPUT's biggest faculty, Business, conferred thousands of diplomas and degrees under the watchful eye of CPUT Chancellor and Minister in the Presidency Dr Trevor Manuel.

Guest Speaker Justice Dunstan Mlambo, who is Judge President of the Labour Appeal and Labour Court, addressed the jam-packed hall of eager graduates and parents.

He shed valuable insight into the challenges facing him and South Africa's often criticized law fraternity and urged the new business alumni to respect the legal system and encourage those around them to do so as well.

"If there is a perception that the courts and law are tardy then it results in a loss of economic development," he warned.

Justice Mlambo ended by reminding the graduates to be grateful to their family and friends for the support offered.

"They say it takes a village to raise a child and I ask you to remember who helped you get here," he says.

Human Resources graduate Jamie Leigh Corker is a prime example of the value industry places on a CPUT alumnus.

After only a three-month internship she has been offered a full-time position in the HR department of a busy call centre in Cape Town.

"They phoned me in January and said I was perfect for the position," she says.

The Business Faculty graduation continues in Bellville on Monday evening and in Cape Town on Tuesday morning.

By LAUREN KANSLEY

Pictures by CLIVE GALANT

Written by CPUT News
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The Maritime Studies Department successfully hosted the Erasmus + Marine Education and Training (MET) hybrid symposium at Granger Bay Campus recently.

The event's purpose was to disseminate the project, The European Commission’s 2020 Erasmus+ programme guide, which defines dissemination as “a planned process of providing information on results and initiatives to key actors”. CPUT’s work package was to ensure this was done.

Senior maritime instructor and manager at Survival Centre, Samantha Montes, who facilitated the event, said the symposium was held to share the results of the work packages. “Long-term project vision offers unique personal and professional development, mobility and partnership opportunities for staff and students between the six institutions. The project objectives align maritime education and curriculum standards to enable and facilitate student and staff exchange.

“Increase the pool of globally competitive and highly marketable seafarers, efficient and high-quality training geared for the 21st century (in time and economy),” said Montes.

The project had three main focus areas, namely:

• Curriculum evaluation
• Pedagogical processes
• Facilities and resources

The research results into the above focus areas were shared with industry stakeholders and other interested parties at the event. The seminar allowed introductions from the six universities in the Euro-ZA: Capacity Building in the Field of Maritime Education, which included CPUT, Durban University of Technology, Hochschule Wismar University of Applied Sciences Technology Business and Design, Germany, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences in Finland.

The programme culminated with two open round table discussions facilitated by Colleen Jacka, managing editor of Maritime Review Africa.

The topics of the first-round table discussion were ‘project challenges and how they were overcome, lessons learnt and how they will be applied, and how each university benefits from the project’. The second round table discussion topic was ‘What does the industry (as potential employers) want to see from academic graduates?

“We often throw around the concept of collaboration in the maritime sector, but three local tertiary institutions have truly embodied the concept over the last few years working with three international maritime training institutions to put the student first and create world-class training centred around the needs of the student and industry,”  enthused Jacka.

Montes, who heads up the CPUT team, acknowledged the hard work of the previous CPUT Erasmus + team members, Prof Edward Snyders, Douglas Dyers, Vanisha Harry, Dr Derek Lambert, and Captain Natasha Fowkes.

Reflecting on the project, Montes said: “The project has contributed to improving the quality of higher education and enhancing its relevance for student employability.” She said the programme has contributed to the level of competencies and skills of students through the transfer of best practices in curriculum evaluation, pedagogical processes, facilities and resources. 

Montes said the funding received assisted in increasing the capacities of South African partners to modernise their higher education systems to benefit the students with the minimum required technology for the training of seafarers in the form of upgraded simulators and computer equipment.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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During a recent event held at the Bellville campus, CPUT’s vision and strategic plans for the next decade were shared with business and industry role-players.

One Smart CPUT: Engaged with Its Critical Stakeholders was the theme of the Vice-Chancellor’s Businesses and Industries Engagement.

Stakeholders were welcomed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Teaching and Learning, Prof Rishidaw Balkaran, who said the growth and success of CPUT’s academic project are primarily dependent on the development and success of its partnerships with various industries.

“We have built strong links with all spheres of government, the private sector and societal structures, who assist with the intake of Work Integrated Learning and Service-Learning placements and contribute immensely to developing new qualifications through involvement in advisory committees for different disciplines.”

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo delivered the keynote address and said CPUT could no longer be the best-kept secret.

He said that while much was achieved under Vision 2020, the institution had decided not to rest on its laurels.

These achievements included ground-breaking research, including the launch of CPUT’s very first satellite, which began several ground-breaking research at the institution.

Nhlapo said the institution would move up a gear and learn from the mistakes and shortcomings of Vision 2020.

He said the institution’s aim with Vision 2030 is characterised by three philosophies: ubuntu, ubunye (unity), and ukungafani (diversity).

“In this strategy, we are re-imagining CPUT as a leading university of technology in South Africa, the continent, and indeed the globe. That is why some people refer to it as the reimagining of CPUT as an MIT of Africa”.

Nhlapo said the idea of establishing One Smart CPUT or Vision 2030 was conceived in 2017 – a Smart university focusing on one dimension, oneness, and the other, smartness.

“One Smart University is a concept with two dimensions – it’s both a physical and a virtual environment led by humans coming together to create a more humane, immersive, interactive and automated experience for students, staff, researchers and stakeholders of the institution.”

Nhlapo agreed that the next phase – 2021 to 2030 – should be crafted to build One Smart CPUT.

“The emphasis on oneness is directed at creating one institutional culture, a sense of belonging, an environment in which everyone strives towards the same goal, taking pride in who we are and how we conduct our business as a university, working as teams, taking collective responsibility for our future, breaking down of silos, working across the departments, units, faculties disciplines and research focus areas, evident by a steep sense of caring about the wellness of others in the workplace and the future of CPUT. We are saying everything we are doing is about the people.”

The programme also included presentations by Dr David Phaho, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, the six faculties, the Advancement Department and other role-players, and a Q&A session.

Prof Lalini Reddy, Director of the Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, said the day had been a historic opportunity for the institution to share its new, "extremely vibrant and eloquent vision 2030”.

“We thank you, the public and private sectors, for the valued workplaces over the many years and the SETAs and other funding agencies for the immense funding you have brought to us. You have provided great satisfaction to our students regarding learnerships and internships. We thank our advisory committee members and others who have contributed to shaping our innovative curricula and qualifications.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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Central SRC President Nanga Codana says his graduation proves that student leaders can balance the challenges of student politics and the stress of academic life.

Codana graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Operations during the Autumn grad series and is completing a two-year Post Graduate Diploma in Supply Chain Management.

He has been at the helm of student politics at CPUT since his appointment in March 2021.

Codana says juggling his position while studying full-time required lots of emotional intelligence.

“I always tell people that you must be a leader by day and a student at night. It would be best if you dedicated yourself to your books as much as you assist students,” he says.

Codana says assumptions that student leaders are only pursuing careers as political leaders, with no interest in graduating, are a damaging misconception.

“That is not true; if you look at the current cohort of student leaders, you will see they are progressing and even excelling. I would like to see higher education institutions offer courses in student leadership so that we can develop these talented young people for careers beyond political leadership.

Codana was one of 480 Faculty of Business and Management Sciences graduands to be capped in the fifth ceremony of the Autumn Grad Series. Ceremonies will continue three times per day for the rest of the week.

Written by Lauren Kansley

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Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

The Faculty of Business and Management Sciences partnered with PAWA Africa, resulting in the Shaping Futures Career Virtual Fair, part of the Faculty's Transformation Conversations. The platform was shared with industry leaders from All4Youth, Nestlé, NielsenIQ South Africa, and ABB South Africa, who shared information on bursaries, internships, differently abled internships, apprenticeships, and graduate programmes.

Mandie Richards, a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty and the programme facilitator, indicated that as many students are often unaware of the direction of their careers, the Faculty then assists in shaping futures by partnering with organisations that can guide students through available possibilities and opportunities. Richards further stated that many positions do not even exist as yet, and as the future is being driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), 5IR and the evolving 6IR students must explore opportunities, adapt to change and remain relevant as this is key to their future success.

The virtual fair was attended by over 200 students and staff members, who engaged in an interactive session with industry leaders who shared their insights and guided students on what awaits them in the world of work. The partners shared information that included enhancing students’ skills and talent, building their career portfolios, and emphasising the necessity of integrating 4IR and 5IR skills.

Alesimo Mwanga, executive director at PAWA Africa, asked students, “Have you started working on your career plan?” and elaborated on the need for students to engage in career mapping and networking to work towards achieving their career goals and objectives. Mwanga added that problem-solving abilities, analytical thinking, innovation, and technology skills are required to add value to organisations.

Noxolo Mnisi, the Youth Initiative Lead at Nestlé, raised concerns about the “Triple Gap”, namely Poverty, the Skill Gap and Unemployment, and said the All4Youth movement is a business-driven programme meant to assist youth transition from education and training to employment and was created to address youth unemployment and employability.

Oluwadamilola Adeyinkat, the Human Resources Leader at NielsenIQ, South Africa, shared information as to the role of big data and its relevance to the industry. She further informed us that their organisation was attracted to graduates who were self-starters, team players, and emotionally intelligent, and the Talent Programme afforded opportunities for development via the training curriculum.

Refilwe Mocumi, the Human Resources Services Specialist: Learning & Development at ABB South Africa, engaged students in breaking down gender stereotypes and equal opportunities being afforded via the Young Talent Programmes.

Ortem Callaghan, a Business Information and Administrator Advanced Diploma student, shared her insights on the importance of having a passion for what you do and continuing to develop skills whilst volunteering at organisations.

All partners also advised that recruitment for positions in the industry has changed and that interviews have taken the format of gamification and case studies, as it allows organisations to identify potential employees' problem-solving and analytical abilities.

Richards added that people’s skills are key to ensuring organisational success. Should opportunities not arise, students’ tenacity and innovation will require that they be creators of employment and afford opportunities to youth.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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The British Council has awarded the Business Innovation and Incubation Centre £100,000 to implement a sustainable, inclusive, industry-linked business innovation and incubation technopreneurship infrastructure to develop graduates to be venture creators and/or become employable in a rapidly changing global environment.

The British Council of South Africa recently hosted a welcome reception and networking event for its sponsored Innovation for African Universities (IAU) projects for the South Africa IAU network partners in Johannesburg. The Centre for Business Innovation and Incubation (BIIC) in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences is one of the nine South African IAU network partners invited to the event.

The British High Commissioner opened the event to South Africa, H.E. Antony Phillipson. The event was attended by the Project Leader and founder of BIIC, Rev Dr Michael Twum-Darko, and the newly-appointed Manager of CPUT’s Strategic Initiatives and Partnership (SIP) Directorate, Dr Tasmeera Singh.

A short presentation of the CPUT project was given. The event was also an opportunity for British and Commonwealth Alumni to connect with fellow IAU network partners in South Africa and to learn more about the British Council-sponsored projects. The CPUT project partners are Manchester Metropolitan University, the UK University partner, and Cape Town-based Snake Nation, the ecosystem partner.

“The underlying principle of the project is that not all those who have good business ideas are good entrepreneurs, and not all excellent entrepreneurs have good business ideas,” says Darko. “ However, the simulator helps everyone refine the business idea to the point of producing a sustainable business model and plan that will draw in venture capital to incubate to become the ‘Next Big Thing’ to create new jobs or improve existing ones to create employment opportunities.” He adds that although not all the 100 (BIIC} students may come up with sustainable business models and plans that will withstand the disruptive nature of economies, they will become entrepreneurs who are highly sought after by companies. “The project's success will be replicated across African universities south of the Sahara,” intimates Darko.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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