Mpumalanga Business 2017-18 edition

OVERVIEW Education and

OVERVIEW Education and training Mpumalanga students will study in Belarus. SECTOR INSIGHT Five boarding schools have been built. • A new tractor assembly plant will provide training. Training The priorities of the Mpumalanga Department of Education are to expand early childhood development programmes, to promote skills development, especially through further education and training (TVET) colleges, and to continue to invest in school infrastructure. Expressions of interest have been called for from the private sector concerning a plan to build 500 new schools in the province over a six-year period. Investors are sought for financing, design, construction, equipping, and maintenance and property management. The provincial government is proposing a 10-year lease period in which time investors would be paid back. Many of the biggest investors in the province support education initiatives. These include Sappi’s donation of several classrooms to Khanyisile Primary School near Barberton and programmes for pupils and teachers at Entabamhlophe Combined School in Elandshoek near the company’s mill at Ngodwana. More than 800 000 pupils in primary and secondary schools are beneficiaries of the provincial Department of Education’s school nutrition programme and 1 604 schools in the province are in the “no - fee school” category. As a result of a treaty with the Belarus region of Mogilev, Mpumalanga students will study at the Belarussian State Agricultural Academy in agriindustry fields such as agronomy, biotechnology and aquaculture. An agreement between MEGA and Minsk Tractor Works to build an assembly plant in Mpumalanga will also create opportunities for training welders, machinists and mechanics. Many companies in Mpumalanga spend extensively on training. Artisans who train at the Hydra Arc facility in Secunda are drawn from the company’s own workforce, from other companies and from the general population aiming to learn new skills. In his 2017 State of the Province address, Premier David Mabuza noted that Sasol had agreed to take on artisans who had completed training at Hydra Arc. He further complimented mining company MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2017/18 58

OVERVIEW Exxaro, who are partnering with the provincial government on skills development. 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 three TVET colleges are: 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. A number of shorter skills courses are offered including automotive repairs and maintenance, computer practice and communications management. Nkangala TVET College has Civil Engineering and Building Construction at its CN Mahlangu campus and Electrical Infrastructure Construction at three of its five campuses. The Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust (MRTT) is a Section 21 company very active in skills training. It has several sites in the province, including a Hospitality and Tourism Academy at Karino. The MRTT’s constructiontraining facility is accredited as a Construction Centre of Excellence and offers courses in brick-laying, plumbing, carpentry and other construction-related skills. The Southern African Wildlife College, offering diplomas 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. University The Deputy President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, was inaugurated in 2016 as the first Chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga. Existing facilities of the former College of Agriculture in Mbombela have been repurposed to suit the needs of the main campus of the university, whose principal and vice-chancellor is Professor Thoko Mayekiso. A further two satellite campuses have been created at Siyabuswa (the former Ndebele College of Education) and at KaNyamazane, where hospitality will be the focus. A degree will be offered in Bachelor of Agriculture in Agricultural Extension and Rural Resource Development. The other two courses offered in the first phase of the university’s development are a Diploma in Hospitality Management and a Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching. More qualifications will be rolled out in phases, mechanical and civil engineering among them. The Department of Higher Education is in consultation with Sasol to provide chemical and electrical engineering studies. MPUMALANGA SCHOOLS New boarding schools built 5 New secondary schools 6 New school libraries 9 New Grade R facilities 24 Replacement of unsafe schools 28 Basic services and sanitation projects: 2015-2017 222 MPUMALANGA PREMIER STATE OF PROVINCE SPEECH, 2017. ONLINE RESOURCES Ehlanzeni TVET College: www.ehlanzenicollege.co.za Gert Sibande TVET College: www.gscollege.co.za Mpumalanga Department of Education: www.mpumalanga.gov.za/education Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust: www.rttrust.co.za National Department of Basic Education: www.education.gov.za National Research Foundation: www.nrf.ac.za Nkangala TVET College: www.nkangalafet.edu.za Southern African Wildlife College: www.wildlifecollege.org.za 59 MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2017/18