Hard work pays off.

This is true for Chemical Engineering graduate, Sipiwe Shoko, who was awarded the Faculty of Engineering Dean’s Medal at the eighth graduation ceremony that took place on the Bellville Campus.

The medal is one of 12 awarded this week to the two top achievers in each faculty.

Shoko obtained distinctions in 25 of her 26 subjects, with an aggregate of 83.7% for the diploma.

Shoko is proof that CPUT is producing highly skilled graduates who will play key roles in growing and sustaining the country’s engineering sector.

The role graduates will play in the country was emphasized by Commander Tsieti Mokhele, the guest speaker at the ceremony.

The CEO of the South African Maritime Safety Authority, Mokhele urged graduates to not just be “engineers” but to become builders of industry and of society. He also urged graduates to provide leadership in the country.

Mokhele says the country does not need graduates who are “demanders” but rather men and women who will deploy their skills appropriately and play a positive role in developing South Africa and the continent.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Thousands of new graduates armed with the necessary skills to grow and sustain South Africa’s economy are soon set to enter the world of work.

During the week of 7 to 12 April, CPUT will host its annual Autumn Graduation during which almost 7 000 students will receive their qualifications, of which 73 are Masters and 16 doctoral graduates.

Autumn Graduation is one of the biggest events hosted by the university and this year thousands of parents, guardians, spouses and other well wishes are expected to support graduates during one of the 12 ceremonies that will be held on the university’s Bellville and Cape Town campuses.

Graduates can also expect to get some valuable words of advice from a host of South Africa’s most notable role-players in politics, industry and academia. From the founders of some of the country’s top-performing companies such as Gina Levy of Supernews to Commander Tsieti Mokhele, CEO of the South African Maritime Safety Authority.

This year graduation week will kick off on Monday morning at the Cape Town Campus, where qualifications will be conferred on students who completed programmes in the Faculty of Business. On Monday evening, students who completed programmes in the Faculties of Applied Sciences, Business and Engineering, will be awarded their qualifications.

This will be followed by 10 more ceremonies, which will take place in the Multipurpose Hall on the Cape Town Campus and in the Major Sports Hall on the Bellville Campus.

Autumn Graduation will culminate on Saturday afternoon at 2pm on the Cape Town Campus, where qualifications will be conferred on students who completed programmes in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences.

*All graduation ceremonies will be streamed live

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

In yet another first for the African continent, CPUT has teamed up with industry and the College of Cape Town (CCT) to launch a project to boost the skills of marine engineering students.

This flagship project is intended to provide the much-needed statutory South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) accredited Marine Engineering Workshop Training (MEWT) to CPUT marine engineering cadets, who have successfully passed S1 and S2 in 2016.

The training will take place prior to their work integrated learning seagoing phase aboard internationally owned trading vessels. 

“The MEWT is a is a statutory requirement of the SAMSA Code and the International Maritime Organisation's international convention governing the standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers to which South Africa is a signatory,” says Pieter Coetzer, Training and Development Manager at the South African Maritime Training Authority (SAMTRA).

Participants include CPUT’s Department of Maritime Studies, the CCT, SAMTRA and the Transport Education Training Authority.

The students will be trained on, among others, diesel engines, electrical, fitting and turning, hydraulics, pneumatics, sheet metal work and welding for a period of approximately eight months.

Coetzer adds that the CPUT students will after the training be required to work on merchant ships for a further 12 months, and obtain an internationally recognized certificate of competency issued by SAMSA.

“This will enable them to work in the international shipping arena as Marine Engineers, and earn a tax-free, foreign currency salary,” he says.

The programme also ties in with the Government's Operation Phakisa, an initiative aimed at tapping into the opportunities the ocean's economy provide.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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