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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
Chemical SETA donates over R1.6 million
to public universities to support groundbreaking projects, cut youth unemployment
The Chemical Industry Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) will be providing two major South African universities with R1 647 500 million in funding in 2021. The funding is designed to support the two learning institutions’ research, innovation and work-integrated learning initiatives and to contribute towards curbing youth unemployment in the era of COVID-19.
Every year the CHIETA, a body whose mandate is to facilitate skills development and training in the chemical and manufacturing industries, makes it part of its strategic objectives to extend financial support to tertiary training institutions for workintegrated learning. The SETA also provides grants to learning institutions, designed to help them prepare their students for the chemical industries’ job market. Ultimately, the SETA wants to ensure that it can play its part in addressing South Africa’s high levels of poverty and unemployment particularly amongst the youth and women.
CHIETA CEO, Yershen Pillay, says that the organisation’s 2020-2021 university partnerships are unique in that they come at a time when the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been battering economies for over a year, driving unemployment to new highs. "As an organisation, we are excited to be part of such ground-breaking initiatives aimed at uplifting our society during this tumultuous pandemic. We are determined to ensure that these partnerships as well as our various other interventions will succeed and benefit our
communities,’’ said Pillay.
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
COVID-19 has also elevated the role of research in the global efforts to find vaccines and a cure for the virus, as well as helping the world population to cope with the various changes brought about by We must cement new and lasting partnerships that will allow us to put the chemical industry on the fasttrack to adopting 4IR and to continue to innovate, in our quest to eliminate poverty, reduce inequality, while spurring the economic development of our country.
the pandemic. In this regard, the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University was granted R387 500 for its work-integrated learning programmes.
The university will partner with pharmaceutical companies to offer work-integrated learning for undergraduate students, who are studying towards pharmaceutical related qualifications.
These students will be able to complete their qualifications and gain workplace experience, creating a pool of graduates for absorption into South Africa’s increasingly important pharmaceutical sector.
Vaal University of Technology
Vaal University of Technology (VUT) has received R510 000 from CHIETA to produce nanotechnology from waste glass. VUT’s project involves the collection of waste glass bottles for recycling and conversion into Nanoscilia.
“The project will make use of non-returnable bottles that would be sourced from townships in the
Vaal region. It will benefit unemployed youths in the townships, who will be collecting and recycling the glass bottles,” Pillay continued.
Nanoscilica products produced from the project will benefit tyre manufactures, pharmaceuticals and plastics industries, which is set to boost South Africa’s exports.
VUT has been allocated a further R750 000 for an electric car project that involves the design and fabrication of a fuel stack with a sulfonated chitosan membrane. It is envisaged that this project will contribute immensely to research capacity building at this previously disadvantaged institution.
The programme will also help Master’s degree students to develop a chitosan membrane for electricity production, which will be used in the development of fuel cell batteries for electric cars and teach students Fourth Industrial Revolution skills.
‘’The fuel cells membrane project forms part of the call for the development of alternative energy to replace the use of fossil fuels. The project also promotes knowledge creation to meet the
Yershen Pillay, CHIETA CEO challenging requirements of electric motor engines in the transport industries. The membrane is developed from chitosan materials that is modified with chemical to improve hydrogen transport for electricity production,” says Deputy Vice Chancellor for VUT, Professor John Odiyo.
Human capacity development improvement
“The objectives of this programme is to address some of the national and VUT development plans, that is, to create knowledge and for human capacity development improvement, and to assist students especially from previously disadvantage sector, who are eager to progress with advance studies. The potential student identified is a female student who will study to the level of PhD. This initiative also supports South African government’s pledge for Women in Engineering.’’ Professor Odiyo adds.
VUT will also be partnering with PET Industrial where students will use the firm’s facilities for
membrane development. The project will benefit the chemicals and energy industries, especially in the promotion of renewable energy.
‘’We are very proud to be part of this innovation as a SETA and we will fully support and take advantage of such new technologies in a modern and fast-changing world to improve and develop our sector,” Pillay says.
He also applauded the SETA’s commitment to forging ahead with its various interventions to stimulate the country’s economy, through the strength of its new and existing strategic partnerships in both the private and public sector.
“We must cement new and lasting partnerships that will allow us to put the chemical industry on the fast-track to adopting 4IR and to continue to innovate, in our quest to eliminate poverty, reduce inequality, while spurring the economic development of our country. Let us work to collectively position CHIETA as an innovation leader in the education and training sector,” Pillay concludes.
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