CPUT staff and students have once again made a valuable contribution to the success of the annual Jazz on the Rocks Festival, which was held at the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve on the West Coast.

The festival not only boosts tourism to the Paternoster area but also helps to empower young people through skills development.
Last year CPUT’s Town and Regional Planning and Architecture Department joined forces with Camissa Solutions to train youngsters from the area in mapping skills and the project was extended this year.

Jacqui Scheepers, manager of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Unit at CPUT, says that this year staff and students from the Faculties of Informatics and Design and Health and Wellness Sciences worked hand in hand with Camissa Solutions.

Town and Regional Planning students trained local youth in the art of map reading. which they would use to assist guests find their plots during the festival, while Emergency Medical Care students worked in shifts to support the medical teams on site.

“Together with the Service-Learning Unit, lecturers like Nicholas Pinfold (Department of Town and Regional Planning), Navindhra Naidoo, Llizane Mcdonald and Daglin Thomas (Department of Emergency Medical Sciences) were instrumental in the launch, coordination and implementation of the project on site before and during the festival. In partnership with Camissa Solutions, the next phase will include follow up training sessions with unemployed West Coast youth.”

She said the students did CPUT proud with their professional attitude and theoretical knowledge of their disciplines. Clarence Ford from Camissa Solutions looks forward to a continued fruitful relationship with CPUT.

“Together with CPUT we are building communities.”

Dale Sparrow, a fourth-year EMS student says the project was a great experience for final year students to develop their managerial skills.

“Setting up a medical unit in the field is an important aspect for our future qualification,” he says.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hygiene and food safety was on the menu when food vendors for the 2018 Jazz on the Rocks Festival received training at the Cape Town Hotel School ahead of the annual event.

The Festival, which is held at the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve on the West Coast, not only provides a welcome boost for the local economy but also empowers local residents through skills development.

Jacqui Scheepers, Acting Director of the Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, said the centre, CPUT Hospitality Management, the Hotel School and Camissa Solutions had combined resources and expertise for the benefit of the food vendors.

Twenty-four vendors were transported to the Granger Bay campus from the West Coast where they received training on safe and hygienic food preparation and storage as well as customer care and service excellence.
They were also treated to a tour of the Hotel School’s facilities.

Food vendor Nathalie van der Heever said the training had been extremely helpful.

“Even though we’ve been doing this for a while, there is always something new you can learn. The information on the right temperatures for food preparation and food storage was useful. We are thankful for the experience.”
Lovetta Bolters, Chief Executive Officer of Camissa Solutions, said the vendors attending were the breadwinners in their families.

“By pooling our resources we can come up with opportunities like this that benefit the people. The participants will go back into their communities and share what they’ve learnt here today.”
Scheepers said the project was one of a series of transdisciplinary service learning projects during the festival, involving a number of CPUT departments, including Emergency Medical Services, Town and Regional Planning and Mechanical Engineering.

Funding for these projects was received from the University Capacity Development Grant.
“The festival gives us opportunities to do projects in a rural area and to bring skills and empower local communities. We are looking at building long-term relationships with these communities,” she said.
The four-day festival wraps up on February 25.

For more information on the Cape Town Hotel School click here.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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