Two third year Mechatronics students will be representing South Africa in the international WorldSkills 2009 competition to be held in Canada during the first week of September.

WorldSkills, previously known as the "Skill Olympics”, sees hundreds of tertiary students compete against one another in the skills of their various trades.

Karl Drögemöller and Kyle Janse van Rensburg, who are both enrolled in the Mechatronics Programme, are the first CPUT students to compete in this event. They secured a place in the competition after coming out tops in the Mechatronics division at the national WorldSkills competition held earlier this year.

At the event, the students, who will participate as a team, will have to complete a number of tasks which will showcase their skills in design, assembly and programming of automated production processes.

Janse van Rensburg said he is looking forward to putting his skills to test at the competition.

“We didn’t think we would make it to the finals. I think it is going to be fun,” he said.

Drögemöller said he is excited to compete against students from across the globe. Of the 52 countries who will be represented at the competition, 40 will be competing in the Mechatronics division. Although students are aware of the nature of the tasks, specific briefs are only given on the day.

However, Drögemöller and Janse van Rensburg are positive that they are ready for the challenge.

Francois Hoffman, Co-ordinator of the Mechatronics Programme at CPUT, said: “The competition is going to be tough.”

Hoffman will accompany the students to WorldSkills, where he will represent South Africa as an expert in the Mechatronics skills evaluation.

At each WorldSkills event, a panel of experts representing the competing countries in the respective skills evaluates the competitors according to predetermined criteria. The competitors who achieve the most points are awarded a gold medal with the runners-up being awarded silver and bronze.

Meanwhile, Festo (Pty.) Ltd., a founding global partner of the WorldSkills competition, said it is vital for higher education institutions to participate in this event.

In a statement released by the company, Horst Weinert, Manager of Training and Consulting said: “Gaining exposure on the global stage, measuring our training quality against the best of the world and showing the capability of South Africa in nurturing these high technology skills, is vital to the development and positioning of South Africa as an economically powerful manufacturer and exporter.”

By Candes Keating

Photograph: Kyle Janse van Rensburg and Karl Drögemöller, who will compete in the WorldSkills 2009 competition to be held in Canada, are pictured with Francois Hoffman(middle), Co-ordinator of the Mechatronics Programme at CPUT.

Written by CPUT News
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Students from the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering showcased their talent and skills during the provincial competition of the WorldSkills Competition (WSC).

Hosted by the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment, the event was held at SARETEC.

WorldSkills competitions are considered the gold standard of skills excellence. They inspire young competitors to reach new heights, helping them turn their passion into a profession.

The teams were trained by CPUT staff members and the sponsors of the different skills.

The teams showed their talents in four skills:  CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Milling, Mobile Robotics, Mechatronics and Renewable Energy as well as one “future skill”, Additive Manufacturing. 

The guests and participants were welcomed by Prof Marshall Sheldon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, who said the competition was an exciting opportunity for the faculty and for the institution.

The speakers included Mike Mashinini (World Skills South Africa (WSZA): Technical Delegate) and Leon Beech (South African Educator Development Centre).

Mashinini said the competition was not just about winning but about building skills and careers.

He emphasised the six focus areas that are aligned to the WorldSkills Vision 2025: Promotion of Skills; Career Building; International Development; Education and Training; Research and Competitions.  

Mashinini expressed the hope that some of the CPUT students would progress to the 46th WorldSkills Competition, scheduled to be held in Shanghai next year.

Students were presented with certificates and awards after the competition while the experts in each skill were also presented with certificates of participation.

Lecturer Vuyani Moni said the students, skill experts, management and support staff were all invited to the Western Cape World Skill Award ceremony (WC WSZA Award Ceremony), scheduled to be held on 11 December.

He said the WC WSZA subcommittee would be awarding all the skill participants who participated in different provincial competitions.  

“Students and skills experts were also encouraged to vaccinate in preparation for the national competition in Durban (28 February to 3 March), Africa Skills competition in Namibia (31 March to 3 April) and the global competition in China (12 to 17 October 2022).

Moni said it was expected that 127 countries would participate in WSC in China in more than 60 skills.

“CPUT is positioning itself to participate in all the possible Higher Order Skills by year 2023 as part of WorldSkills Vision 2025 where there should be one standard used for each skill,” Moni added.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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