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Mangosuthu University of Technology Annual Report

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activities to the event, the University was able to reach out

to schools servicing other races outside Umlazi such as in

Chatsworth which is a predominantly Indian area. Learners

in the area were sensitised about the importance of literacy.

These activities resulted in the Dawn Ridge Primary School

organising their own ILD on the 11th of September 2015.

Furthermore, the Chatsworth Rotary Club in collaboration

with MUT and eThekwini Municipality organised a clean

–up campaign at Sunset Avenue in Chatsworth which was

held on the 25th of September 2015.

Student Volunteerism

There was a marked increase in a number of MUT student

volunteers participating in various activities during the

second quarter of 2015. Forty-five students volunteered

as follows: one student assisted in the food processing

training of Dexter and Matu Zama Agricultural Academy

with the assistance of MUT’s Department of Community

Extension Department; five students developed a website

for a community-based organisation; five students offered

computer training tutorials for educators; ten students

were involved in IKAMVA Youth Organisation activities;

four students volunteered at the Natural Science Museum

and twenty participated in the career assessment

conducted by MUT’s Student Counselling Unit.

5.6 Significant Developments And

Achievements In Work-Integrated

Learning

Cooperative Education is a philosophy of learning that

promotes the concept of enhanced learning based on

cooperation between education institutions on the one

hand and industry, commerce and the public sector on

the other (HEQC, June 2004:40). Through Cooperative

Education, students are able to embark on Work-

Integrated Learning or Service Learning. Work-Integrated

Learning is a programme that integrates academic learning

with industry-based learning that is monitored, assessed

and evaluated. Service Learning is a “course-based,

credit-bearing educational experience in which students

participate in an organised service activity that meets

identified community needs and reflect on the service

activity in such a way as to get further understanding of the

course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline,

and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” (Bringle

and Hatcher: 1995, 113).

At Mangosuthu University of Technology, Cooperative

Education is seen as one of the programmes that

contribute to the enhancement of student employability

through the following objectives:

•

Offering work readiness programmes to all students;

•

Increasing the number of programmes requiring

Work Integrated Learning;

•

Increasing the number of programmes that require

Service-Learning; and

•

Increasing the number of industry, parastatals,

NGO’s and other relevant partnerships established

with the focus on student employability and

placement;

The Cooperative Education highlights for 2015 are

mentioned below:

Institutionalisation of theWork Readiness Programme (P0)

For MUT, the work readiness of our students has been

set as one of the vehicles to set our students apart and

therefore enhance their employability. Historically, P0

was not timetabled, was not included in the academic

system of the institution and did not include employability

skills training for the students. A lot of effort was put

into changing this situation. To this end, processes to

institutionalise P0 took priority in 2015. By the end of 2015,

the following had been achieved:

a)

The roll-out of the Employability Improvement

Programme took place in earnest. The Employability

Improvement Programme (EIP) is a work readiness

programme that teaches students soft skills that are

required by industry across all disciplines. It is rolled

out as an initiative that resulted from a partnership

between the Department of Higher Education

and Training (DHET) and the Japan International

Cooperation Agency (JICA). MUT is only one of two

UoTs in the country that have commenced with the

roll-out of the programme.

b)

P0 was included in the timetable of 7 academic

programmes. This means that the programme now

has a specific timeslot in the weekly schedule of the

institution.

c)

A comprehensive learner guide for the P0 has been

drawn and it now includes approximately 6 weeks

of EIP training for students in preparation for their

engagement with industry.

d)

P0 will, as from July 2016, be included in the

academic system and will, appear in a student’s

academic transcript.

Training Partnerships

Work-Integrated Learning partnerships are crucial

for the attainment of qualifications in most academic

programmes in a university of technology. As a result,

the establishment of such partnerships is one of the

objectives of the institution’s operational plan. In 2015,

17 partnerships were in place. Significant partnerships

created in 2015 are those we created with various funding

agencies. Through these particular partnerships Work-

Integrated Learning placement opportunities were

created in industry, resulting in 346 students benefiting

and thus completing their qualifications.