CPUT’s annual Career Fair, which began on Wednesday, 17th August at the Bellville Campus, has drawn large numbers of students eager to learn more about the careers that await them. The two-day event allows potential employers to reach and interact with students in a relaxed atmosphere. With many of these organisations busy with their talent search and internship recruitment processes, a visit to the fair will ensure all students get first-hand information on these opportunities.

Fundiswa Nofemela, the Manager of the Co-operative Education Department, says organisations from the Financial, Management and Retail Sectors including ABSA, the Institute of Accounting and Commerce, Rio Tinto Management Services, Oasis Asset Management, EDCON, Fruit and Veg City &  Freshstop, Truworths as well as The Foschini Group will be in attendance.

“The Engineering Sector is represented by Aveng Grinaker-LTA, Haw and Inglis Civil Engineering, NMC, Siemens,Tellumat and Toyota, and from the Applied and Medical Science Sectors, Synexa Life Sciences, Mediclinic and Appletiser will be there. We also have a strong presence from the Government Sector represented by departments from both the National and Provincial Governments,” says Nofomela.

Nofomela adds that the Student Counselling Department, who run the ‘Jump Start Your Career Workshop’ which covers job search strategies, CV and cover letter writing as well as mock interviews will also be at the Career Fair. They’ll be ready to help the students with their CV's if needed.

“The Career Fair is one of the institutional events that increase the visibility of potential employers on our campuses and bring job opportunities closer to our students.  We therefore urge ALL students to visit the Fair and meet their future employers."

On Thursday 18th August, prizes were awarded to exhibitors with the best 'attention-grabbing and informative' stalls. Tellumat walked away with first prize, with Fruit & Veg City in second place and Truworths in third.

By: Jan Weintrob

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

CPUT’s Wellington campus was amongst the hosts of the Absa Cape Epic – the premier mountain-bike stage race in the world.

The picturesque campus served as the race village for two nights during the 20^th edition of the gruelling race, which included 613 km of racing.

In addition, the University was proudly represented by an alumni team, consisting of husband-and-wife team Etnard and Sarita Louw who officially became Epic Legends this year.

Etnard, a former development engineer at the French South African Institute of Technology, obtained his MTech in Electrical Engineering in 2016 while Saritha holds a B.Ed Intermediate and Senior Phase.

Etnard said it was a was a great experience to tackle the race together.

“We have raced together in a stage race once before but the Epic is a different beast and you have to approach it with a different mindset. We worked together well and knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

However, there were also a few challenges along the way.

“We had two close calls on the last two stages of the Epic with Etnard puncturing his tyre and crashing on the last day. Thankfully, we handled it well and were able to finish. After a hard week of difficult stages, that is the last thing you want to happen so close to the finish line,” Sarita said.

The team finished 14th in the mixed category out of 50 teams that finished and 200th out of the 710 teams that started the race.

Etnard said this year’s race was extra special as the couple both became part of the Legends Club.

“After completing three Absa Cape Epics, you become part of the Legends club and you receive your ‘amabubesi’ medal and shirt. That is what made this time round even more special because both of us finished our third Cape Epic and we did it as a team and we couldn’t ask for a better way of celebrating it than together.”

They thanked CPUT and the Marketing and Communication Department’s Cathy Cloete “from the bottom of our hearts for this amazing opportunity and for the chance to participate in this prestigious event and making our dream a reality. We are truly grateful”.

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

Internationalisation has become an entrenched feature in higher education, where students and staff exchange opportunities, collaborative online learning, and collaborative qualification offerings have become the norm.

As such, the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences (FBMS) recently hosted a three-day International Week at Granger Bay and Bellville campuses. The event was attended by the Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Directorate, national and international academic, industry partners, and government representatives, both in person and online.

The industry partners included: ABSA, Sea Harvest and the South African Institute for Government Auditors. The government officials were from the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape provincial government. Speaking at the event, Assistant Dean: Teaching and Learning: FBMS, Prof Desiree Scholtz, said the benefits of these endeavours are unparalleled in creating life-long learning experiences. Scholtz said the operative word “here being ‘experience’ since the experience of being abroad is a life-long encounter”.

“Internationalisation opens new vistas of thinking, knowing, and doing that no theoretical learning can offer. The CPUT, and more importantly here, the FBMS has a growing number of partnerships in the Euro Zone, BRICS countries, Africa, and Canada with additional agreements being signed on a regular basis,” she noted.

Scholtz said the value assigned to internationalisation endeavours extends beyond developing academic prowess. “While the exchange of learning, teaching and curriculum is important to advance the academic agenda, we have found that personal engagement results in long-standing partnerships between departments and our faculty,” she said.

During the proceedings, delegates were given a slot to present an overview of their institutions. This started with the hosts, followed by other institutions such as the University of the Western Cape, the Polytechnic University of Porto, Portugal, the University of South Africa, and many more.

Reflecting on the conference, the organising committee chair, Andiswa Mrasi, said the FBMS Hybrid International Week is an annual event hosted by the FMBS.

Mrasi said the event's primary purpose is to create a platform where practitioners in the field of international education engage on important topics to enhance this discipline and share best practices. Mrasi, who is also a manager: Strategic Initiatives and Projects: FBMS, said: “This year, which marked the second Hybrid FBMS International Week was once again a resounding success. We were particularly pleased to witness the participation of local institutions.”

One of the event's highlights was the participation of local and international institutions, and the workshop on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), presented by Dr Pieter Steenkamp from the Marketing Department and Simon Kavanagh from Kaospilot, Denmark.

“We are encouraged to see the growth in engagements pertaining to Internationalisation,” said Mrasi.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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