Thanks to the Wholesale and Retail SETA (W&RSETA) hundreds of CPUT students have received much needed financial support this year.

The W&RSETA has provided bursaries to the tune of R12 million, which will help cover the tuition cost of 250 Retail Business Management students.

Head of the department, Petrus Venter says the bursaries are welcomed as retail managers are listed as the number one critical scarce skill in the retail industry.

Venter says the bursaries for CPUT students is part of a broader development initiative, which has seen the W&RSETA offer bursaries to all students at South African universities who are enrolled in retail business management programmes.

In addition to the W&RSETA‘s funding support, 40 retailers have also provided student bursaries, says Venter.

CPUT has the largest centre for retail training in Africa. The Department of Retail Business Management has more than 800 students from National diploma level up to Doctoral degree level.

The University is also home to Africa’s only Wholesale and Retail (W&R) Leadership Chair.

The chair, which is based in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences,  was established as a result of the W&R SETA's initiative to co-operate with universities to encourage the production of academic and applied research in this sector of business.

The chair is fully-funded by SETA to the tune of over R11-million.

*Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Written by Kwanele Butana

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The Wholesale & Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA) has awarded bursaries to the tune of R42 million to CPUT students who excel academically. 

This year the SETA awarded 160 new bursaries to successful applicants in addition to more than 300 students who they have been funding since last year. This amounted to a life-changing R42 million.

The students, who are in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, applied for funding earlier this year directly to the Seta via their website.

During a bursary contract signing session held recently on the District Six campus, the Seta gave students backpacks and stationery in preparation for the upcoming exams.

CPUT and the W&R SETA have a strong partnership since the latter has been awarding bursaries to our students over the past four years.

“We highly appreciate partnering with the SETA. They have been funding both undergraduate and postgraduate bursaries as well as the Wholesale & Retail Leadership Research Chair. The postgraduate bursaries are assisting developing future academics,” said Prof Paul Green, Dean of Business and Management Sciences.

“Some of these students are graduating in December and this makes us proud as an institution to see students realise their potential.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Another vote of confidence for the quality of training offered at the Cape Town Hotel School as it attracts more bursaries from its industry partners. 

The South African Association Women’s Graduates has pledged ten bursaries for second-year students in 2019, while the International Women Dialogue pledged five more bursaries to first years.

The pledges were announced by Samukelisiwe Coka, president of the Association Women’s Graduates and Convenor of the International Women Dialogues, during a Nelson Mandela Day Lunch held at the Hotel School restaurant on Saturday.

The lunch was hosted by the school’s community engagement strategic pillar to raise funds for a student bursary by selling tickets for R100 to members of the public and staff.

The proceeds from the ticket sales will be awarded to a student who meets the school management’s selection criterion. The R100 entitled the scores of patrons to a light buffet lunch and live music entertainment.

Coka called upon students to do well in their studies as a token of their appreciation of the pledged financial support.

“Students who are funded by the association should be in class at all times,” she said. She added that without education young people cannot achieve their dreams and that would mean the struggle fought by Mandela and others was all in vain.

Earlier this year, the students who excelled in 2017 walked away with a total of R1 478 100 in bursaries, vouchers and prizes during the annual Cape Town Hotel School Awards.

The bursaries are funded by successful establishments in the industry including Tsogo Sun Hotels, Cape Liquor and Catering Trade Educational Trust as well as Protea Hotels by Marriot.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA), a skills development authority for the energy and water sectors, has awarded 150 students with bursaries to the value of R9 million.

The EWSETA has been funding academically achieving students in Environmental Health, Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering since 2015. “CPUT is one institution that has consistently received bursary grants from EWSETA and that is largely due to the fact that the CPUT students are such determined, passionate and committed youths, who know what they want and are driven to achieve it,” says the EWSETA’s Western Cape Provincial Manager, Ms Renecia Wilson.

In 2015 the SETA committed R2 million towards bursaries for 40 diploma students in Environmental Health and Environmental Management.  Impressed by the high calibre of the 2015 awardees, the SETA more than tripled their funding and handed over a cheque of R7.2 million to assist 123 CPUT students in 2017.

In expressing gratitude for the funding CPUT’s Director of Advancement, Calvin Maseko, encouraged students to work hard so that the SETA can continue increasing its investment to CPUT year on year. “We appeal to the current bursary recipients to maintain the high standard of performance that EWSETA has come to expect from CPUT learners and not let the bar drop,” says Maseko.

Wilson adds that when the awardees complete their studies, they would like to see the graduates gainfully employed in the water and energy sectors. “This will allow them to contribute towards our country’s scarce skills, which we are currently sourcing from other countries. 

“If they can accomplish this they will be contributing to making South Africa a globally competitive economy.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The National Research Foundation (NRF) has awarded R3.3 million in student bursaries to the pioneering French South African Institute of Technology at CPUT.

F’SATI director Prof Robert van Zyl said the institute was grateful for the support from the NRF, which has provided more than R12 million in bursaries to students from the institute since 2009.

“This year’s award is the biggest grant so far,” said Van Zyl.

“Awards like these are crucial for the development of our students at a time when many students and their families are struggling financially. It will help to ensure the sustained growth of the institute, which will support the growth of the space industry in South Africa.”

The award will support six BTech students, 17 new Masters students, 10 continuing Masters students, four new doctoral students, one continuing doctoral student while a grant for staff development was also made.

The award comes as F’SATI prepares for the launch of ZACube-2, the most advanced South African CubeSat to date.

ZACube-2 follows on the success of TshepisoSAT (code named ZACUBE-1), Africa’s first cubesat, which was launched into space in November 2013. 

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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This year more than 170 CPUT students have been awarded bursaries worth over R6 million by the Mining Qualification Authority (MQA).

The bursaries were awarded to students in the fields of Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Health, Jewellery Design, Environmental Management as well as Electrical, Mechatronics, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering. The bursaries cover tuition fees as well as allowances for meals, books and accommodation.

The successful students recently attended an induction workshop hosted by the Advancement Department in partnership with the MQA on the Bellville Campus. Some of the students have been receiving MQA bursaries since 2016.

Tebogo Thankge, a Bursary Officer from the MQA, confirmed during the workshop, that the MQA is committed to helping young learners from disadvantaged communities who are in need of bursary support in mining-related fields.

The students’ academic progress is closely monitored by the authority as it pays only half of the tuition fees in the first semester and the other half in December after the students complete their modules, while students doing semester courses receive the second half in June.

Sinalo Grangxabe, an Environmental Management student, has been receiving bursaries from the MQA since last year. Sinalo’s family of four relies on a small spaza shop to make a living, as there is no one working in the family, and her cousin and brother are also studying.

Prior to being selected for the bursary, she took loans from the NSFAS to finance her studies. “I feel very happy and overwhelmed about the support of the MQA and CPUT. They give us dates and times to get things such as book vouchers and meal allowances and deliver on time as they promised,” she said

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

This year more than 170 CPUT students have been awarded bursaries worth over R6 million by the Mining Qualification Authority (MQA).

The bursaries were awarded to students in the fields of Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Health, Jewellery Design, Environmental Management as well as Electrical, Mechatronics, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering. The bursaries cover tuition fees as well as allowances for meals, books and accommodation.

The successful students recently attended an induction workshop hosted by the Advancement Department in partnership with the MQA on the Bellville Campus. Some of the students have been receiving MQA bursaries since 2016.

Tebogo Thankge, a Bursary Officer from the MQA, confirmed during the workshop, that the MQA is committed to helping young learners from disadvantaged communities who are in need of bursary support in mining-related fields.

The students’ academic progress is closely monitored by the authority as it pays only half of the tuition fees in the first semester and the other half in December after the students complete their modules, while students doing semester courses receive the second half in June.

Sinalo Grangxabe, an Environmental Management student, has been receiving bursaries from the MQA since last year. Sinalo’s family of four relies on a small spaza shop to make a living, as there is no one working in the family, and her cousin and brother are also studying.

Prior to being selected for the bursary, she took loans from the NSFAS to finance her studies. “I feel very happy and overwhelmed about the support of the MQA and CPUT. They give us dates and times to get things such as book vouchers and meal allowances and deliver on time as they promised,” she said

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Universities SA (USAf) has made an appeal to the corporate sector and for private donors to continue supporting students through bursaries and scholarships.

There is a growing concern across the university sector that companies and individual donors who traditionally offered students and universities funding for bursaries are no longer doing so.

It is believed that this change has come into being on the basis of the rollout of what is commonly spoken about as free higher education. This is deeply worrying and may potentially wound the futures of many students who have found their way into one of our 26 public universities and who do not qualify for the new student funding system.

According to USAf there is still an extraordinarily important role for the private sector to continue to support students with bursarsies and scholarships.

Read the full appeal here

Written by CPUT News
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The Advancement Department raised R100 million in bursaries, work-integrated learning, internships and community engagement in 2022, benefiting more than 2 700 financially needy students. The funding was received from various government and private donors, including CPUT staff members.

“2020 and 2021 were very difficult years for us, due to COVID, over and above our ailing economy. We are grateful to our donors who headed our request for funding and helped realise the dreams of our underprivileged students. Thousands of CPUT students are struggling with paying their study fees. The extra working hours that the department’s staff put in has paid off. We also appreciate staff members from other departments who enabled this success. They did us proud,” said Calvin Maseko, Director of the department.

Some of the funding raised directly benefited over 300 high school learners. These learners are from the feeder schools of CPUT. CPUT implements maths, science and digital literacy support to these learners as part of community engagement.

“We are slowly getting to pre-COVID times. We could have done more but 30 of our donors owe us R137 million. This is affecting over 900 students. We are following up on the outstanding payments. We extend our gratitude to students that have been patiently waiting for their bursary payments. I have approved for the unblocking of these students so that they can register in the 2023 academic year. Whilst I note that our donors are delaying in paying us, we also must speed up project implementation from the university side”, said Prof Driekie Hay-Swemmer, Executive Director: Office of the Vice-Chancellor.

Written by CPUT News

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The Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering recently hosted a welcoming and orientation event for the best 2022 Grade 12 learners who are sponsored by Toyota South Africa Motors (Pty) Ltd (TSAM).

The students have enrolled to study Mechatronic Engineering at CPUT. The Head of the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Simphiwe Nqabisa, said this was the outcome of the newly established relationship between Toyota South Africa Motors and the department in an endeavour to produce future-ready graduates for the forever evolving world of work.

The delegation from Toyota was led by General Manager: Human Resources Planning, Tania Hughes and Senior Manager: Manpower Planning and People Efficiency, Ponatshego Mothusi. The delegation came with the top eight students from the Future of Manufacturing [FOM] Programme, a bursary programme focussing on Maths and Science for Grade 12s in Durban South Basin, along with their parents.

Director for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning (WIL), Prof Lallini Reddy, Nqabisa and WIL Coordinator, Mechatronic Engineering, Zimisele Mlumiso were present to welcome the guests. “The excitement was written on the faces of the now students of CPUT and their parents as they planted a footing on our great university of technology. The parents expressed great gratitude for the opportunity given to their children by both Toyota South Africa Motors and CPUT," said Nqabisa. In the words of one of the parents: "Because of our disadvantaged background we never thought that our children would be here today,’” said Celiwe Mtiyane.

Currently, TSAM has absorbed CPUT Mechatronic engineering graduates onto its graduate programme and have sponsored eight of its best FOM Bursars to be enrolled for the Mechatronic Engineering programme. The two partners have committed to working together on monitoring the progress made by both intakes.

Both TSAM and CPUT are committed to collaborating further in the development of skills in STEM in response to improving manufacturing in South Africa.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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