In November, the Tourism and Events Management department hosted an annual general meeting of the National Tourism Educators South Africa (TESA) at the Cape Town Hotel School, Granger Bay.
Representatives from further and higher education institutions across South Africa offering tourism and related courses qualifications were in attendance.
The primary purpose of the meeting was to elect a new executive committee, which was voted in during the proceedings.
The new executive now comprises, President: Dr Rishi Balkaran (Durban University of Technology), Vice President: Prof Elmarie Slabbert (North West University), Treasurer: Dr. Erasmus Mnguni (DUT); Secretary: Mandisa Silo (CPUT).
Two other members with no portfolio are 2011 Acting President Hugh Bartis (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) and Peter Kriel (University of Johannesburg).
Newly appointed Head of Department, Mandisa Silo, expressed her delight to be able to host TESA, one the first activities in the position she’s held for a little over three months.
“Our department saw this as an opportunity to represent the CPUT brand and showcase the work we do in the Tourism Industry”, said Silo.
“The former Cape Technikon was one of the first convenor institutions to offer high quality tourism qualifications in the country, so we felt it necessary to uphold this status even as CPUT”, she added.
Later in the month, the department’s BTech: Tourism Management students presented their
Senior Lecturer, Snyman Ohlhoff, explained the purpose of the presentations:
“Our students present their research projects to evaluators and it forms part of the assessment of the projects. We also invite some of our stakeholders from industry and government with whom we've built up relationships, to listen to the presentations and we also share with them what our students are doing”.
Ohlhoff added that ‘the outcome of this exercise is that students are prepared for when they choose to further their studies to the Post-Graduate level, in terms of presenting research at conferences by this type of activity’.
By: Thando J. Moiloa
Written by CPUT News
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