The winners of the first-ever Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards were revealed during a recent ceremony at the Bellville Campus.

The awards honoured exceptional student leaders and dedicated administrative staff.

Outlining the background to the awards, Prof Driekie Hay-Swemmer, Executive Director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, said: “When we recognise the hard work of staff and students, we do more than just celebrating it in a particular moment. We ignite a spark that encourages even greater efforts. And that is also what we want to achieve with this initiative. Recognition serves as a reminder that hard work does not go unnoticed and that every step toward excellence is worth celebrating”.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo said it was an incredible honour and a privilege to be part of the ceremony, adding that it “has been long in the making”.

Nhlapo said the CPUT community has diligent staff and students who habitually exceed their job description and go beyond the proverbial extra mile or call of duty.

“As the Vice-Chancellor and principal of this majestic institution, the MIT of Africa, I want all of us to embrace excellence.”

The winners in the staff category were:

First place - Nomalizo Mapasa – Mapasa was described as a beloved person on the Wellington Campus, a mother to many students “who walked many extra miles”.
Second place - David Haarhoff
Third place - Isaac Paul
Fourth place - Selema Molopa and Tumiso Mfisa

The winners in the student category were:

First place - Bulela Limba - Bulela is the chairperson of the Student Christian Organisation. Bulela guides a team that hosts spiritual and community events, creating an inclusive environment for over 100 members. She's also the provincial chairperson of Make a Mark Africa in the Western Cape and directs volunteer teams and coordinates youth empowerment programmes for underprivileged communities. She's also part of the Golden Key International Honour Society.

Second place - Athenkosi Sobada – Athenkosi is a member of the Golden Key Honour Society CPUT chapter and has been a teaching assistant at CPUT, mentoring and assisting students with their studies and providing pastoral care. He has also been involved in the Bellville Campus first aid responders team.

Third place- Rorisang Makgana – Amongst other things Rorisang has established tutoring classes on campus, attended by many students. He also launched a YouTube channel, making his tutoring accessible to a broader audience of students facing learning challenges. He is also a Golden Key member.

The recipients of the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Quality Awards were also announced during the event.

Dr Siyanda Makaula, Director of the Quality Management Directorate outlined the Excellence in Quality Awards and said: “You can’t define excellence without taking into consideration quality. You can’t define quality without taking into consideration excellence.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Phanadapreneurs, a Community Engagement Student Leadership Academy student project team, recently hosted a Community Engagement Business Bootcamp at the Cape Town Hotel School, Granger Bay.

Jacqui Scheepers, Manager: Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, said: “The bootcamp provided for engagement across multi-sectoral boundaries with the aim of stimulating enterprise development and enhanced business practices in the informal sector.”

Student entrepreneurs, startups, emerging entrepreneurs, parastatals, local provincial and national government, business support development agencies and funders all formed part of the auspicious event. The focal activities of the event included information sharing, dialogue, skills development, business success storytelling, networking, but most importantly how students can contribute and assist with economic growth within their respective communities.

“The bootcamp forms part of a broader initiative by the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Units, Centre for Community Engagement and WIL [Work Integrated Learning], where students are encouraged to be more agile in their approach and are encouraged to think of ways and means to alleviate socio-economic issues within their respective communities,” said David Haarhoff, project lead.

Haarhoff added that they strive on equal opportunity. “From a Community Engagement perspective, it is imperative for us to continuously enhance students’ capabilities by offering such projects where our students are exposed to creative thinking and offered the opportunity to grow in all spheres of life through contributing to the well-being of small business enterprises and society at large,” he said.

In his opening address, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Prof Paul Green, encouraged students and entrepreneurs to explore, experience and most importantly, to be flexible in their thought processing when considering this critical issue of socio-economic advancement in their communities.

The keynote speaker, John Peters, Chief Director: Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, sketched the current scenario in South Africa in terms of high youth unemployment rate, low start-up rate of new business and high discontinuation rate of existing businesses. Peters further highlighted a weak entrepreneurship culture, regulatory and bureaucratic constraints, inadequate, fragmented and uncoordinated support eco-system, infrastructure, crime/extortion and other binding constraints as well as a lack of information and awareness.

Peters advised that government offers a number of financial and non-financial support to start-ups and encouraged the youth present to utilise these services. He urged students to become tech savvy, and to welcome competition, stating that it can sharpen their thinking and will allow them to be more efficient and more effective. In closing he alluded that most successful entrepreneurs never relied on handouts and/or begged government for support.

Jayde Barends, Senior Technology Transfer Officer, CPUT Technology Transfer and Industry Linkages, provided context in respect of her department and the technology transfer process from idea conceptualisation to socio-economic impact. Rushdeen Rose, Project Coordinator, Technology Station: Clothing and Textile, CPUT provided a detailed outline of services offered by the technology station as well as the various training programmes and industry initiatives the station is currently embarking on.

Phillip Chibvuri, Finance Specialist within the Residence Department at CPUT, provided context in terms of financial architecture and encouraged students to take time to know the worth of their “money”.

Director: Advancement Department, Calvin Maseko, highlighted that his department considers all three pillars of CPUT when embarking on fundraising initiatives. This includes Learning and Teaching, Research and Community Engagement.

Christopher Cupido, Acting Head of Department: Entrepreneurship and Business Management touched on the ENACTUS programme with a particular focus on students’ social enterprise development through ENACTUS as a CE project.

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) was also represented at the Business Bootcamp by Xola Gxilishe, Jobs Officer, who gave a rundown of entrepreneurship and youth cooperative development programmes offered by the agency.

Amangile Botya, Akha Bobo, Williams Matsepone and Sakhile Mabena, young entrepreneurs, CPUT students and alumni, shared their respective business success stories. Scheepers viewed the bootcamp as a step towards the strengthening of partnerships and relationships within the business development sector and aims to engage in further community engagement initiatives and projects.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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The Civic Engagement Unit, Centre for Community Engagement, Work Integrated Learning collaborated with CPUT Residence Finance to disburse used and written off items from CPUT residences to communities as part of their Social Investment Project.

The project began a few years ago with the disbursement of used mattresses and bed frames from residences in District Six, Bellville, Mowbray and Wellington campuses. Currently the residences are busy replacing the small desks which are being replaced with new ones. Dedicated residence management and house parents engage with the Civic Engagement Unit to ensure that collection of used items coincide with the delivery of new items to the residences. Wherever possible house parents, Residence Student Assistants (RSA’s)and leadership academy students assist the communities on the day of collection which is labour intensive.

Community organisations which have benefited from the project thus far are: Saartjie Baartman, Ladles of Love, Vision Child and Youth Care Centre, Langebaan Policing Forum, Jenny Alexander Community Upliftment Foundation, Camissa Solutions, The Ark City of Refuge, Sons of God reach NPC, Gift of the Givers, Ram Charity, Agape Family, Leliebloem Home, RWCW Foundation, Restoration & Leadership Skills Home, Al SABR Foundation, Hanover Park home of Safety, Victory Outreach, Open Foundation, TAG Restoration Centre, and Umsimbithi Foundation.

These organisations deal with disaster response and poverty alleviation as part of their service to vulnerable communities. Jacqui Scheepers, Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Manager believes that “the project gives credence to CPUT’s Oneness and Smartness through acts of kindness and demonstrating compassion (human heartedness) by the university further cementing and living the philosophy of Ubuntu”.

Phillip Chibvuri, Residence Finance Specialist, Finance Administration, says CPUT as an institution surrounded by communities, “there is a deep sense of responsibility and approach to our social fabric and contribution thereof”. “These projects will continue as our vision and mission as a university is designed to benefit the environment in which we operate while preparing the next generation of responsible citizens,” says Chibvuri. He further states that their projects are not theoretical but practical and hands on where there is meaningful cohesion between the community and the students fostering social change and responsibility in building a thriving civil engagement process.

Debbie Lindenberg, from The Community Policing Forum says: “A huge thank you for the desks which were distributed to two schools in Langebaan and to Redlinghuis. They were so appreciated.”

A community partner, Mark Govindsamey from Camissa Solutions expresses gratitude for the donation. “It will be appreciated by those we bless with them. Now more than ever, due to the loss of personal items in areas affected by the storm we had. Thank you to all at CPUT,” says Govindsamey.

Sydney Hlongwane, third-year student in Management and Project Management, Faculty of Business and Management Sciences says: “I acquired managerial skills aligned with my course work and gained hands-on experience. Running this project has helped me to improve my leadership, communication, and administrative skills as well as my client engagement abilities.”

David Haarhoff, the Civic Engagement Project Lead indicates that Community Engagement can simply not be deemed as a tick box exercise. “It requires passion, empathy, sympathy, and a sense of alignment with the ubuntu philosophy. I believe in the philosophy of each one reach one. Reaching out to the respective organisations is a true testimony of our University’s seriousness in contributing to society at large.

“This aligns to our mission and vision and our strategic blueprint. I am extremely excited to be part of this social investment project as it aims to assist communities in rebuilding where there has been lost or towards the betterment of communities,” says Haarhoff.

This project is ongoing and shows how through collaboration and partnerships CPUT staff and students can make an impact in their communities.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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The Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) Units, Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, in collaboration with Lovafriworx CEO, Lovetta Bolters, recently hosted an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Interdisciplinary project in Mossel Bay.

This was led by EMS Lecturer and SL Departmental Coordinator, John Meyer. The purpose of the project was for students to empower a group of thirty community members from the Southern Cape region with the necessary basic first aid skills. The skills acquired during the engagement was intended to enhance the participants’ life skills and, in essence, promote their chances of employment. The focal points of the project training included: Basic Life Support (BLS) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), BLS Relief of choking and basic first aid level wound dressing and bleeding control.

David Haarhoff, Project Lead for Civic Engagement, said the Community Engagement projects of this nature have become critical, and could be the decider between life and death before medical emergency services are dispatched to a scene, particularly in remote and under-resourced communities. Haarhoff said the skilled first responders are able to assist a distressed patient and save a life. He added that in South Africa, the unemployment figures have increased exponentially, forcing youth and society to be more agile in their approach, by finding ways and means to increase their chances of employability.

“The excitement exuded by the participants, as well as the participating students, is noteworthy. The dedication and commitment displayed by community members to complete their project training was commendable. The participants engaged well within the group work activities and were eager to learn. CPUT’s social footprint has evidently become more prevalent within communities. It is extremely important that we continue to make inroads in relation to our vision 2030 strategic blueprint,” said Haarhoff. He added that Community Engagement requires staff members to have a well-rounded disposition when dealing with the myriad of challenges when engaging with members of the community.

EMS Course facilitator, Athenkosi Sobada, was happy with how the project went and with the great teamwork. Sobada said the students were great to teach, engaging very well. “You could tell they wanted to learn by the interest they had about the course content and asking questions to get clarity about previous cases they encountered. Since the course is Seta accredited, the learners can go to the nearest schools and ambulance services to work as first aiders when they have sports events and they can be renumerated.”

The EMS staff members and students were also joined by students from faculties of Education, Engineering and the Built Environment, Informatics and Design, and Business and Management Sciences. SLCE Manager, Jacqui Scheepers, said the students were inspired by the passion and dedication of the community participants and by the positive impact which the programme and their contributions had on the community. “Working across academic disciplinary boundaries is the hallmark of SLCE and is aligned to CPUT’s Vision 2030.”

The Film and Video students were given an opportunity by Camissa Solutions to practice their craft at the festival, guided by Randel Lakay, a professional film and TV producer. The students also participated in public health and wellness campaigns at the cultural Mossjazz festival for two days. Scheepers said that building relationships and partnerships with external university organisations are imperative to community engagement projects. “This contributes to the holistic development and sense of citizenship of students.”

Written by CPUT News

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The Civic Engagement Unit recently reflected on the Atlantis Special Economic Zone STEAM Programme, which was launched this year and is led by the Advancement Department.

The purpose of the programme is to assist 40 learners from surrounding schools in Atlantis with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEM). STEM is high on the agenda of the University, encouraging learners to dispel the negative connotation relating to subjects and careers within the field.

As the world's reliance on technology and innovation grows, so does the demand for individuals to upskill, particularly in the STEM vocations.

Advancement Department director, Calvin Maseko commended the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Units for a job well done, especially the academy leadership. Maseko said the leadership role which the participating students played in the project was “impressive and student leaders can serve as role models for the learners”. “The Unit staff [members]has created a positive environment where students are respected and affirmed and are provided with spaces to develop their leadership skills and competencies. The student academy should be compulsory for students who wish to occupy leadership roles at the university.”

SLCE Manager, Jacqui Scheepers, said this interdisciplinary community engagement project calls on students to conduct ongoing research, develop activities and then implement through sharing their skills and knowledge. Scheepers said the students also had to work closely with the facilitators and the CE Unit to ensure that all the logistics were put in place like indemnity forms, registers and transport. “As the programme was held early on Saturdays in Atlantis, students had to travel to one pick-up point on the Bellville campus, and then travel to Atlantis. This is an indicator of the dedication, discipline and commitment which the student leaders displayed.”

Recently a reflective workshop was conducted with students from the Community Engagement Student Leadership Academy who were involved in offering tutoring and teacher support throughout the 26 sessions offered to learners this year. The student project leader is Lutendzo Moavi, Sports and Leisure Management student, who is responsible for coordinating the weekly programme and student activities on site. Learners were provided with workshops on Mathematical concepts and Robotics using Lego. The students also accompanied the Learners to the Cape Town Science Centre, which was a learning experience for both groups.

A number of students reflected on the project and were asked what stood out for them. Simphiwe Makhathini indicated that the yearning of the pupils to learn and compete was “admirable and allowed me to think on my feet, accessing the need demand and delivering”.

Atlegang Lekabe, Sports and Events Management student, said: “The project has taught me patience and perseverance. Meeting learners from different backgrounds was a bit challenging. However, what we did as a group was to find ways in which we will be able to relate to the learners, so that they may be comfortable and from there onwards we were able to actively engage and learn from each other. What stood out for me, was a young man who comes from a very troubled household, however the passion he has for his academics inspired me as you would normally find kids from such environments tend not to be interested in academics.”

A student, Sydney Hlongwane, said the project reaffirms the notion that programmes like Atlantis STEAM are defining the future of learning and paving the way for a new generation of thinkers and doers.

Project Lead for Civic Engagement, David Haarhoff, commended all partners inclusive of “our University for their continued efforts in assisting learners to become more comfortable in the STEM subjects”. Haarhoff said offering the exciting activities for the duration of the 26 sessions has provided them with a different perspective and methodology to deal with problem solving and challenges. “Further to this, I am of the opinion that the learners are able to utilise these problem-solving methodologies to assist them to overcome life challenges.” The project will resume in February 2024.

Written by CPUT News

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CPUT recently hosted business and industry partners for a productive engagement, which also served as a platform to launch the Institutional Industry Advisory Forum.

The Forum will seek to advise on job market trends, as they relate to work-integrated learning, future-proof curricula, research and innovation.

The event, held at the Cape Town Hotel School on the Granger Bay campus, provided valuable opportunities for networking while some of the cutting-edge research conducted at CPUT was also showcased.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo said cooperation in research development and innovation between universities and industries plays a fundamental role in the economic development of any country.

“Industry benefits from state-of-the-art laboratories and technology from academia, while higher education institutions learn about business reality and market needs.”

Prof Dina Burger, Director: Research Development, said the event was a significant day and milestone on the calendar for the CPUT community.

Burger said one of the university’s focus areas is smart engagement and strong links with quintuple helix partners.

“A partnership between us will take us far, and today we will solidify our commitment to partnerships in launching the institutional industry forum.”

The keynote speaker was PRASA acting regional manager, Raymond Maseko, who said PRASA was the beneficiary of a partnership with CPUT. He outlined the important role CPUT students had played in the recovery of PRASA’s rail network.

Maseko said that when the train service resumed after the hard lockdown in 2020, PRASA had to recover much of its network, which had been destroyed during the lockdown.

“Because we were planning now to recover the service, we increased our intake from CPUT in 2021 to about 36 students from the electrical engineering school, from mechanical engineering and also we took some operations management students.” Some of the students worked as project managers.

He said 21 of these students were now permanent PRASA employees.

“We have recovered all of the stations with the people that we have been working with, from industry, of course other contractors, but specifically from people that we have sourced from partnering with CPUT.”

Prof Lalini Reddy, Director of the Centre for Community Engagement and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), said it had been an honour for the Centre to co-host the event.

“In launching the Institutional Industry Advisory Forum, we commit to offering our future-proof curricula in preparing them for the future world of work.”

Prof Rishidaw Balkaran, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning and Teaching, said the idea was to ensure that CPUT made learning relevant for our students but there were also benefits for industry, including from the cutting-edge research conducted at the institution.

David Haarhoff, Project Lead, Community Engagement and WIL, said events of this nature aligned with the institution’s vision of being an inclusive university that constantly strives to collaborate and innovate with industry partners.

“The focal point of the event was essentially to recognise the dedication and efforts of industry partners in affording our students opportunities to develop professionally. I am extremely happy with the engagement and networking of industry partners who also recognise the university’s research efforts and provide current trends within industry which align to the curriculum.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Director: Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning (WIL), Prof Lalini Reddy, and her team recently hosted an induction workshop for 50 WIL coordinators at Bellville Campus.

Under the theme: Promoting Employability of Graduates, the workshop was held with the aim of discussing the WIL Quality Cycle and to induct current and new WIL coordinators within various faculties. Reddy, who opened the event said: “WIL Co-ordinators were inducted to latest trends and WIL Quality Management Cycle for effective student exposure to industry. It is our quest to prepare our students for the future world of work.”

In the well attended workshop, Andrew Rand, Faculty WIL Coordinator: Applied Sciences, provided a presentation on WIL Data Capture and Management.

The guest speaker, Estian Behrens from Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC), presented on Building University – industry partnerships for work-integrated learning programmes. Meanwhile, Dr Lizel Hudson, WIL Coordinator: Health and Wellness Sciences Faculty, also presented Work Preparedness Programme. Jayde Barends, Senior Marketing Officer: Technology Transfer and Industry Linkages Office, talked about entrepreneurship.

Walter Kohlhofer, Faculty WIL Coordinator: Engineering and the Built Environment closed off the event with closing remarks and thanked the guests who graced the event.

Reflecting on the event, most attendees expressed that the information was very relevant and informative as it provided a bird's eye view of what WIL is all about.

Project Lead, David Haarhoff, said as an inclusive university, the institution strives to equip all staff members with the necessary skills required to execute their respective tasks. Haarhoff said this particular WIL Coordinators Induction Workshop was no different. “Work integrated Learning plays a pivotal role in respect of student skills development within industry and our WIL Coordinators play a critical role at faculty level to ensure that they meet the deliverables in this regard. The event was well supported by faculties and participants engaged well in the workshop success.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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CPUT recently hosted a German and Namibian delegation for a series of strategic workshops. These workshops were aligned with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Community Engagement in the Southern Africa Region (CESAR) project, which contextualises the following fields of action: Teaching, Research and Management. Social Entrepreneurship initiatives are explored through project partnerships with industry and communities as linked to the following three United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation
• SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy
• SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities

International partnerships are becoming increasingly critical as a means to address global issues posed by the SDGs. Therefore, the CESAR project seeks to address challenges experienced by communities in Namibia, South Africa and Germany through collaborative partnerships as aligned to SDG 17 which focuses on partnerships for the achievement of all the goals.  Support for local communities takes priority within the Southern African context through the exchange of ideas, knowledge sharing, skills development, and practical and experiential community engagement projects in communities.

A trans-disciplinary team, comprised of staff from the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) and Flensburg University of Applied Science (FUAS), were selected to engage in capacity-building workshops and knowledge exchange activities through teaching, research and management. Prof Dr Kay Pfaffenberger, Director at the Centre for Business and Technology in Africa, (FUAS), is the overall DAAD CESAR project leader. Pfaffenberger alluded to the critical need for partnerships to address global environmental issues and was extremely impressed by the effective and efficient efforts of the project team during the workshop and expressed his sincere appreciation to the CPUT hosts. At NUST, the project is led by, Dr Laudika Kandjinga and at CPUT the project resides within the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) Units, led by Jacqui Scheepers.

“CESAR contributes to strengthening community partnerships and collective problem-solving. The partnership provides opportunities to engage community and industry partners and the various spheres of government to find innovative impactful solutions towards improvement in communities. CESAR seeks to lay a firm foundation for the development of a Centre for Community Engagement at the NUST which can monitor envisaged projects. A SDG Engaged Research Forum will provide further support for collaborative research projects even after the runtime of the project. The responsibility for project continuation will lie with the respective universities and their respective partners post project,“ said Scheepers, Manager: SLCE.

At the workshops, the team members took turns in facilitating and presenting on the various aspects and topics which strengthened the participation and inclusion of all institutions in the programme.

“This was surely a beautiful experience ... beautiful because of the trans-disciplinary project team working towards one goal and that being to contribute and impact our communities at large. It afforded me opportunities to engage with individuals from Germany as well as Namibia, to share ideas and contextualise aspects related to the project. Further to this, it also aligned and added to my international project management portfolio which links to my current postgraduate studies in project management. Working in silos is something of the past and the need for national and international partnerships must be encouraged for the growth of our University“,  said David Haarhoff, CESAR project support and researcher, CPUT.  Haarhoff works closely with Martin Kuhn, Scientific Assistant, FUAS and Theresa Burns, SL Administrator, CPUT.

During the strategic planning workshops, the delegation critically addressed challenges and opportunities in line with the project deliverables. The delegates also visited a community site, the Ulwazi ‘Knowledge“ Educare Centre, in Delft. The centre provides preschool education for children up to six (6) years of age. The educare was built with 1 700 old car tyres, 6 000 eco-bricks and 2 000 glass bottles. Both delegations were extremely impressed by the architecture and creativity of the building with sustainability and alternative construction methods being high on the agenda. The SLCE Units arranged for Gift of the Givers to bring grocery items for the children’s meals, snacks and care items for the young children. The principal and staff expressed their appreciation to Gift of the Givers, CPUT, and the international delegation.

The project spans over three years, ending in a comprehensive report in 2027. From 22 – 24 July 2024 the three DAAD CESAR project leaders from FUAS, NUST and CPUT will represent the project at the DAAD Project Leader Conference “Educating tomorrow's leaders to pioneer sustainable development – the role of academia” in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

At present, DAAD is funding 103 partnership projects that connect German universities with relevant partner institutions in developing countries in Africa. 

Further project planning session are scheduled to take place in September 2024 at NUST and in November 2024 the delegation will be back at CPUT. These project planning workshops will ensure that the desired project deliverables are achieved.

Written by CPUT News
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The Co-operative Education Unit of the Centre for Community Engagement and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) hosted a successful Student Work Preparedness Workshop focussing on resilience, one of CPUT’s Graduate Attributes.

The Centre promotes effective WIL and community engagement activities to set graduates apart regarding their employability. The series of workshops embarked on this year focused on industry essential skills students drawn from the 21st century skills set required. The Centre Director, Prof Lalini Reddy, stresses the importance of highly interactive workshops for students which promote 4IR technologies together with critical thinking, unity in diversity, cultural tolerance and human values, all essential for preparing students for the future world of work.

David Haarhoff, Project Lead said projects of this nature are imperative for enhancing essential skills once our students are released into the world of work. “As a Centre and Institution, we want our students to be well prepared for their work-integrated learning and employment purposes,” Haarhoff stated. He said the dedication and commitment of students who attended the workshop were commendable, demonstrating their commitment to do better and set themselves apart in the industry.

In this workshop, the Centre collaborated with the Student Counselling, and it was facilitated by Head of Department: Student Counselling, Leanie Brits and Phorogohlo Phala, a psychologist. The joyous and pleasant atmosphere among students is worth mentioning. Students engaged and participated in many activities aligned to the theme of resilience (stress tolerance, creativity, problem-solving) within the workplace and personal leadership development.

The outcomes of the workshop included students' understanding of the concept of resilience, emotional intelligence, managing stress, exploration of the left and right brain and understanding of the brain profile, further to this, Haarhoff stated the emphasis was also placed on self-awareness as a tool to manage stress, personal resilience and identification and applying resilience strategies.

“The voice of students is critical in respect of feedback for workshops like this and it is for this reason that the Centre constantly strives to improve on service offering. The methodology utilised for such feedback is a student post-event survey where students have an opportunity to provide honest feedback, he said.

Haarhoff said the impact is important when embarking on projects and events, “I often ask myself whether projects or events align with our graduate attributes of the institution. Most importantly we have to question whether students will benefit from initiatives of this nature. I undoubtedly can say from the feedback received that our impact is worth noting.”

Certificates of attendance were handed out and students could use this to enhance their CVs when applying for job opportunities.

Written by CPUT News

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