Education and training

Digital skills are coming to Mpumalanga.

part of a scheme to strengthen Early Childhood Development. The Ephraim Mogale Bursary Scheme supported 1 370 students in different universities within the country and the Mpumalanga Department of Education supported 221 students at various level in the Federal Republic of Russia.

As part of a programme to spread skills to young people living in rural areas, an eco-friendly SMART Skills Centre is to be built in Sabie. The timber structure results from a partnership between the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) and the South African Forest Company Limited (SAFCOL).

CHIETA aims to provide digital technology and online learning to help young people compete in the job market. Among the forestry-related skills that the centre will focus on are drone operators, but it will also respond to national skills needs such as fitters and turners. SAFCOL will cover the cost of erecting the ecofriendly wooden structure and CHIETA will supply the equipment.

The development of the Komati Training Facility to facilitate the reskilling and retraining of Eskom employees and members of the community has begun. Eskom has signed a partnership agreement with the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) to develop the training facility.

Four new primary schools have been completed in areas where the population has been growing, namely Magogeni, Mpumelelo, New Klarinet and Mbatini. A further five schools, including Mkhondo Boarding School, are set for completion in the course of 2023. Designs for Long-Tom Secondary and Rockdale Extension 24 are being finalised and construction will begin in 2023/24.

The Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme will be used to encourage Grade 12 matriculants to consider pursuing Grade R teaching as

On a hill north of the Crocodile River a complex of buildings is taking shape as home to the province’s first university. By building on existing institutions such as teacher training colleges, the University of Mpumalanga has progressively offered more courses and taken on more students. The official launch was in October 2013 and by 2020, the university was offering 26 qualifications to 4 200 students. The university currently offers 48 programmes in three faculties: Education; Agriculture and Natural Sciences; and Economics and Business Sciences. There are plans to add new programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and to establish the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Law. By 2024, the plan is to offer approximately

70 qualifications to over 8 000 students. That is the year in which the university’s first doctoral graduates will be capped. Research relevant to the needs of the province can now be done at local level. Issues such as acid mine water leaking from abandoned mining sites and new applications for products in the timber industry are among the kinds of research that will boost economic productivity in Mpumalanga, and lead to better socio-economic conditions for citizens.

University of Mpumalanga students have distinguished themselves in competitions run by ENACTUS, an international organisation that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilise university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. Mpumalanga students have won first place in categories such as LED Challenge, Triple Bottom Sustainability and Community Development. Among the anchor sponsors are Barloworld, Ford, Harmony Gold, MTN and Nedbank.

Mpumalanga has three Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, with an enrolment of over 36 000. UNISA, the Tshwane University of Technology and the Vaal University of Technology also have satellite campuses in the province.

The TVET colleges are located in each of the province’s three District Municipalities: Gert Sibande (four campuses and a skills academy), Nkangala and Ehlanzeni, which has six campuses, a skills centre and a satellite campus.

Ehlanzeni TVET College offers 10 National Certificate (Vocational) programmes including ICT, Finance, Economics and Accounting, Engineering and Related Design and Tourism. There are also a number of shorter skills courses on offer.

Nkangala TVET College offers Civil Engineering and Building Construction at its CN Mahlangu campus and Electrical Infrastructure Construction at three of its five campuses, among its seven NCV academic programmes. The Mpumalanga Regional

Mpumalanga Department of Education: www.mpumalanga.gov.za/education

Sasol bursaries: www.sasolbursaries.com

Southern African Wildlife College: www.wildlifecollege.org.za

University of Mpumalanga: www.ump.ac.za

Training Trust (MRTT) is a Section 21 company active in skills training. The Fluor Training Centre in Secunda offers training in fields such as fitting, welding, pipefitting and other building trades.

The Southern African Wildlife College, offering diploma and short courses in conservation, is a joint World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) and Peace Parks Foundation initiative. The college is located near the Orpen Gate on the edge of the Kruger National Park.

Sasol is a major supporter of research and training in the province. A group of Mpumalanga teachers has had the opportunity to train as master teachers for Robotics and Coding, courtesy of Sasol.

The Sasol Foundation has also donated multimedia resources for teachers and pupils in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Awards for students who achieve in science and mathematics are regularly given and Sasol supports many students on bursaries at universities and colleges. The Sasol SGS Global Learning SHE Academy is located in Evander. ■