Tag Archives: Clothing and Textile

Stitching together career development

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The Technology Station: Clothing and Textiles recently celebrated their most recent crop of short course graduates.

Acting Dean of the Engineering Faculty, Prof Mellet Moll, was on hand to award certificates to the nine learners who successfully completed four short learning programmes.

Technology Station: Clothing and Textiles (TSCT) Manager Shamil Isaacs said it was important to recognise the achievements of the industry based learners who sacrificed their free time on Saturdays to attend classes.

“Also, to appreciate the support of participating host companies Pep, Seagull Industries, K-way and Sweet Orr and acknowledge the supporting stakeholders and funders who are the Fibre Processing and Manufacturing SETA, the Technology Innovation Agency and CPUT as the host institution,” said Isaacs.

The learners completed Introduction to Pattern and Garment Technology; Textiles and Fabrics; Computer Pattern Making; and Product and Labour Costing.

The TSCT has a menu of 18 registered short courses on its brochure, focusing on areas such as Pre-Production Technology or Textiles. About 12 of these run on a regular basis, dependent on demand in any given year. The TSCT also offers customisable programmes based on consultation with businesses as part of a company’s internal staff development programme.

The short course brochure and application form for 2019 are now available on the CPUT website.

Isaacs pointed out a key driver of the TSCT is to support small business and emerging techno-entrepreneurs with a particular emphasis on previous disadvantaged persons.

One of the learners who collected her certificate of completion is Jackie Bezuidenhout. Manufacturing Technologist for Pepkor Clothing, she considered doing the short courses worth her time. “We learnt a lot and I would recommend doing these short courses to my colleagues,” said Bezuidenhout.

Written by Theresa Smith

Threading together teaching and learning

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The Clothing and Textile Department used their recent Open Day to not only reach potential new students, but teach existing students a valuable lesson.

Business and Marketing lecturer Dr Sweta Patnaik set about 150 first year and second year students the marketing project of helping run the Open Day. Not only did the students have to be based at particular work spaces but they had to brush up on their knowledge about their chosen stations. They also had to create videos related to the Open Day, including their own feedback of the event.

Close to 250 leaners from six different local schools as well as a few teenagers accompanied by their parents were shown around the seven work spaces where students learn about pattern making or computer aided design in the Clothing and Textile Department. They were also shown the Technology Station Clothing and Textiles next door.

Students demonstrated techniques and concepts to learners and encouraged them to ask questions.

This is the tenth annual Clothing and Textile Department Open Day and this year they decided to incorporate a station about career options.

The Education, Training and Development Practices Seta was on hand to explain their bursary scheme which is firstly aimed at people who study education but also provides opportunities in other fields.

“The Departmental Open Day is mainly focused on increasing student intake and a qualitative upliftment of incoming students.

“It is also a mode of reaching out to people who probably aren’t aware of the Department. I am really positive about the uptake this year seeing as we had a career fair for the first time. We will also post student videos on social networking sites to increase and enhance our reach,” said Patnaik.

 

Written by Theresa Smith