MEC Chiloane launches Thuto ke Maatla Engineering School of Specialisation

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Thursday’s launch of the school brings the number of schools of specialisation launched by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to 30.

The township of Tembisa situated in the north of Kempton Park, has emerged as a center of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

In a statement, the GDE said that the school, through its diligent learners, needs to further enhance the economy of Tembisa by identifying its challenges and finding innovative ways to solve them.

The department said the learners should service the needs of the community, especially those who are in close proximity to the school.

“The establishment of an Engineering School of Specialisation with a focus on manufacturing industrial equipment is based on this school being located in Ekurhuleni, the Eastern Economic Development Corridor. The main industries within this corridor are manufacturing, transport and logistics.

“Accordingly, trains are manufactured in Nigel. We envision the school partnering with, and having excursions, at the relevant companies where said manufacturing is done. This will be beneficial towards skills development and enable learners to become professional accredited artisans.”

The department added that learners in Gauteng have shown that they can excel using industrial equipment tools and fabrication equipment such as power saws, drills, hand tools, metal-working machines, polishing machines, presses, boilers, industrial ovens, and industrial scales.

Barloworld Equipment, in Isando, also uses this industrial equipment, offering earthmoving equipment, industrial services, and power systems, which enable the operation and maintenance of a large array of mining, construction, and power solutions.

MEC Chiloane said that this is what the learners should be able to do as such partnership with the company is key.

“At Barloworld Equipment, learners can access the various simulators, learning how to operate the industrial equipment that they should learn to make. There is also a workshop where learners will see the various machinery and processes that go into manufacturing industrial equipment. Learners should do job shadowing during the school holidays.

“Indeed, we are excited and proud to have established such schools that impart invaluable future skills to learners. We will continue to launch these schools until we achieve our goal of introducing about 36 of such schools in Gauteng. The future of our education is bright,” Chiloane said.