CUT receives R10 million investment from merSETA for engineering development

The merSETA delegation led by its CEO, Dr Raymond Patel, visited CUT to finalise the R10 million project initiative of establishing a merSETA chair in Engineering Development at CUT from 2014 to 2016. "CUT was a perfect choice as a university of technology to take the chairpersonship of Engineering Development, especially in FET Sector and Technology Education Colleges in the Free Sate and Northern Cape Provinces. We have a shared vision of what the field of engineering in education can become with the correct support and development," said Dr Patel.

Promoting skills development

merSETA is one of South Africa's 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) whose mandate is to promote skills development in various industry sectors including metal and engineering, auto manufacturing, motor retail and component manufacturing, tyre manufacturing, as well as the plastics industries.

"CUT regards this partnership as long-term and important for us to contribute significantly to the development of more engineers; especially our young people who should be equipped with hard skills for business and industry," said Prof Henk De Jager, deputy vice chancellor: Academic.

Some of the technical training of FET lecturing staff will be done in collaboration with HAMK University of Applied Sciences, Finland. Another focus will be technical secondary schools in the Free Sate and Northern Cape provinces, and finally the promotion of women in engineering with a particular focus on schools and current students.

For more information about CUT, go to www.cut.ac.za.