WCED Working With Engineering Industry to Support Teachers

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is working with various role-players in the engineering industry, to develop in-service training programmes for teachers who teach mathematics, science, technology and related subjects in Grades 10 to 12.

Engineers from various disciplines will over the weekend discuss strategies with WCED on building effective partnerships with schools and teachers, and will provide lesson plans and materials that can be used in the classroom.

The engineers will attend a training session on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 August, hosted by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest technical professional society. The training session will be held at the Waterfront in Cape Town and will include representatives from the national as well as all other provincial education departments.

The training session will be held under the auspices of the Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Training for South Africa. The initiative aims to help teachers in all provinces. TISP will assist schools as they implement the new curriculum for Further Education and Training (FET) in schools. It is a proven program that will leverage existing engineering skills in the country.

The training session is being coordinated in association with the Engineering Council of South Africa, the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers, the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the South African Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Professional Engineering Technologists, and the Chamber of Engineering Technology.

Said Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore: "Our country needs to produce at least 13,000 engineers per year, but produces just above 3,000. In addition there is half-a-million vacancies in the areas of communication and information technology, engineering and financial services.

"The aim of our focus schools is to develop skills needed to meet the objectives of the Micro Economic Development Strategy of our provincial government, by increasing numbers in our FET colleges, while also encouraging learners to enter Higher Education, especially those planning to study maths, science and technology.

"This program is an excellent example of how all sectors can cooperate to improve the quality of education in the country and to build the scarce skills we desperately need to grow and share the economy.

"We are deeply grateful to the engineering industry taking part in this program, and look forward to working with them as we develop the teaching skills and knowledge of our teachers."

For more information contact Doug Gorham, d.g.gorham@ieee.org, Tel:+1 732 562 5483, or Nico Beute, BeuteN@cput.ac.za, Tel: 021 460 3657.

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For enquiries:
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Office of the MEC for Education
Western Cape
Tel: 021 467 2523
Fax: 021 425 5689
Email: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za