Recapitalisation Newsflash

At the the conclusion of the three-year recapitalisation period, it is with both pride and a sense of relief that we look back on the impact that recapitalisation has made on the staff and on the face of the college.

The main objective of the FET Colleges Recapitalisation Fund was to ensure that the colleges were ready to implement the new National Certificates (Vocational) programmes. In total, the college received R55 700 000.00 from the National Treasury.

The recapitalisation project objectives were to develop the professional quality of our Human Resources, to provide efficient administration systems, to upgrade the existing infrastructure, to develop College capacity and to purchase appropriate learning and teaching support material for the delivery of the new curriculum.

New signage for Central Office

Value added to the College

Strategic Area: Human Resources Development

Staff have been trained and supported to introduce the new NC(V) curriculum. The college has a sufficient quota of Assessors and Moderators to support assessment on the new programmes. The management complement of the college has been trained in Project Management and Supply Chain Management.

Strategic Area: Systems and Procedures

The college was supported in marketing the new programmes in terms of updated brochures, a modification of he database for capturing student information and with the printing of new registration forms. A centralised Asset Register has been established and an induction programme developed. All sites benefited from the extensive drive to connect offices, classrooms and Practicum Rooms on the network. A wireless (microwave) system has been installed linking all sites to the central office. (This made it possible for the College to cancel the VPN contract with Telkom and induce a saving of approximately R500,000 per annum.) An AVAYA VOIP telephony system has been purchased so calls between campuses are now relayed through the wireless network at no additional cost. The College will also benefit from the cancellation of line rentals and switchboards at campuses.

Practicum Room built at Springs Campus

Strategic Area: Upgrading / alteration / refurbishment and modernisation of classrooms, laboratories and workshops.

The expansion of infrastructure in terms of new workshops, classrooms, Practicum Rooms and offices will assist the College in dealing with the drive to enrol more students on the new programmes.

A new modernised Call Centre with training rooms has been built. In this facility, training as well as business process outsourcing is taking place. Students will stand to benefit by having practical training in their field of study on site while it is greatly to the advantage of the College to be able to sell seats to businesses.

After upgrading the ablution facilities, constructing ramps and installing disabled lifts, the College is now accessible to disabled students

The ICT division, originally based at the Brakpan Campus, was moved to Springs Campus due to the limited space for growth at the Brakpan site. This move resulted in vast savings for the College in so far as the existing infrastructure at Springs Campus could be renovated and new buildings did not have to be built at Brakpan.

The College has upgraded facilities in terms of fixing leaking roofs, installing security systems, painting signage and burglar proofing.

Strategic Area: Upgrading of College Sites

The College has upgraded and painted all entrances, making the College more attractive. Landscaping has been done on all sites and an irrigation system has been installed on the sports fields at Kwa-Thema Campus.

Strategic Area: The Buying or Building of New Classrooms, Laboratories, Offices, etc.

The building on new workshops at Kwa-Thema has assisted the Campus in doubling the workshop capacity and therefore creating the opportunity of enrolling more students for the engineering courses.

Strategic Area: The Purchase of Equipment to Support Teaching and Learning

New technology was procured with the aim of training students on the latest equipment. Facilities were better equipped and fitted with modernised training aids. Machinery, hand tools and power tools have been purchased for the engineering campuses to ensure that all workshops have the necessary aids to deliver on the new programme. A Smart Board project was launched between the Daveyton Campus and Kwa-Thema Campus. These Smart Boards are connected through the wireless network so that one staff member can train two classes at the same time.

This opens up the opportunity to develop new intervention in an effective strategy to assist with specialisation and scarce skills. 60 CNC Simulators have been purchased and installed at CAD rooms to create the opportunity for our students to learn the basics of CNC Programming. Two CNC lathes and one CNC milling machine have been procured to expose students to the latest technology and advancements in industry.

Strategic Area: Preparation for Delivery of New Programmes

The College has been able to assist the student enrolled for the new programmes with textbooks, consumables and stationery.

Learning material and educational aids have been procured to ensure effective, up-to-date and relevant training on the new programmes.

It gives us a sense of accomplishment to realise the developments and progress which were made possible by Recap.

Although recapitalisation has come to en end, it has been replaced with Equitable Share Funding, which will once again be utilised to upgrade facilities, equipment, etc., to ensure that the College can operate on an even higher level than before.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Recap Manager by phone on 011 730 6600 ext 3140, or by email at johang@eec.edu.za.