Stellenbosch University Platform of Vocational Excellence in Water

Lovedale TVET College CoVE Hub links students with industry through the successful completion of their “WIL Week in Climate Smart Agriculture”. The regional CoVE hub is being established through the European funded Erasmus+ programme CoVE in Climate Smart Agriculture in South Africa. Click on the link below to read more about the different farms and higher educational institutions the students visited. https://lnkd.in/dt5Jxdkx

🌍💧 The PoVE South African Mission is Approaching Fast! 💧🌍 Stellenbosch University Water Institute is thrilled to host the annual Platform of Vocational Excellence (PoVE) in Water mission from 18–22 November 2024! We can’t wait to welcome delegates from Latvia, the Netherlands, Germany, Estonia, and the Czech Republic to Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). This mission is an incredible opportunity to reflect on our progress, plan future activities, and strengthen international partnerships. 🤝🌊 One highlight of the event will be the hackathon, bringing together European and South African experts, including delegates from technical and vocational colleges, the Department of Water and Sanitation, local municipalities, and Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA). Together, we’ll tackle three real-world challenges in the South African water sector, with teams collaborating to identify solutions. 💡💧 Coinciding with the mission, we’re also excited for the official launch of the South African Centres of Vocational Excellence in Water in collaboration with EWSETA! 🌟 #PoVEWater #StellenboschUniversity #WaterInnovation #InternationalCollaboration #Hackathon #WaterManagement #SustainableWater #EWSETA #SouthAfrica #covewatersouthafrica #VocationalExcellence #WaterSector #WaterSolutions

Empowering Emerging Farmers through Education We're proud to have empowered marginalized community members and emerging farmers in Rustenburg through our one-day workshop on Small Business Development in an Agricultural Context that took place yesterday. As part of the Rustenburg Agriculture Development Programme (RADP), our expert, Mr. Henk Stander, Principal Technical Manager in Aquaculture at the Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agrisciences, Stellenbosch University, led the engaging one-day workshop at Orbit TVET College's Central Office. With a background in Agricultural Economics and a specialisation in Aquaculture, Henk brought invaluable expertise to the workshop. Participants gained valuable insights into entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing, financial planning, and effective business management. We're committed to building capacity and fostering sustainable development in our communities. #Agriculture #CommunityDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #StellenboschUniversity #Rustenburg #RADSP

We are excited to share that last night at the 12th Gender Mainstreaming Awards for Africa and the Middle East held in Midrand, #EWSETA walked away the winner in the Government sub-category for the Award for “Women Empowerment in the Workplace”. This is a massive achievement and highlights amongst others, the critical role we play in ensuring that we are achieving IMPACT for our sectors.    Why did we enter these prestigious Awards & what makes us the stand-out winner? South Africa's energy and water sectors have for many decades been dominated by men. It is therefore important that gender transformation is a strategic focus for skills development towards building an equitable workforce. Sector transformation from a gender perspective has prompted EWSETA's implementation of innovative, meaningful projects and programmes in partnership with local and international bodies.   EWSETA has several comprehensive and impactful initiatives aimed at empowering women and promoting their participation in energy and water. Our commitment is evident through various programmes and investments across the skills development value chain. One notable programme is "Solar Mamas", providing disadvantaged women entrepreneurial skills in solar technology through international training in India. This fosters economic independence while growing the renewable sector. Additionally, EWSETA partnerships with Duke Corporate Education and Wits Business School demonstrate dedication to quality higher education access for women, equipping them with expertise for leadership roles in energy and water. Furthermore, EWSETA's Just Energy Transition programmes focused on female artisan graduates from TVET Colleges are commendable, giving women practical industry exposure to prepare for successful careers in the rapidly growing field of renewable energy.    EWSETA's holistic approach to supporting women from skills acquisition to higher education and professional development ensures their empowerment throughout the pipeline. By actively promoting women's participation and leadership, EWSETA contributes to gender equality while fostering a diverse, inclusive workforce that can drive innovation, productivity and sustainable development in critical energy and water sectors.   #ThankYou to the EWSETA Team and Board members who represented us last night and were able to accept the Award. We also thank the panel of judges for deeming us worthy of this accolade. #onwardsandupwards #EWSETAfortheWIN #gendermainstreaming #womenempowerment #skillsdevelopment

West Coast TVET College kicked off their CoVE action plan with a computer training workshop for farm workers: The West Coast TVET College Centre of Vocational Excellence (WCC CoVE) recently hosted a basic computer training workshop for farm workers on the 19th of October. This activity is related to their regional CoVE which being established as part of the European Union funded Erasmus + programme CoVE in Climate Smart Agriculture in South Africa. Click on the link below to learn more about this computer training workshop. https://lnkd.in/dunk-eaX

We are proud as POVE to part of this exiting structure within the broader Southern African Network.

Matching the #EuropeanUnion's #Erasmus Days last week, the MASSTER consortium met in Senegal to work on their project. It is an #Erasmus+ project funded by the European Union in the field of capacity building in higher education. The aim is "Managing (South) Africa and Senegal Sustainability Targets through Economic-diversification of Rural-areas". We worked on the development of four Training of Trainers (ToT) courses to be delivered in South Africa and Senegal. The courses are aimed at training farmers in the following areas: 1) Agro-tourism development 2) Farm management and income generation 3) Farm Management and Climate Change Resilience  4) Training on food value chain Special thanks to the Université Gaston Berger in Saint Louis for hosting us and all the participating partners from Senegal, South Africa and online members from Serbia and Italy. It was a pleasure to meet you all and to work on this fantastic project that will lead to the improvement of farmers' skills and also to a better cooperation between farmers and higher education institutions. This is the goal of the #Back2Farmers movement! It was also a great pleasure to meet the colleagues working with us on the BASIS project. The personal contact strengthens the relationship and leads to a better understanding of how to work together on the projects. Western Balkans Institute; Stellenbosch University; Tshwane University of Technology; University of the Free State; Université Gaston Berger; Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf Sanja Kovačević; Marko Stojanovic; Jelena Nastic; Djordje Miltenovic; Corli Witthuhn; Anathi Siphesihle Makamane, PhD; Grany Mmatsatsi Senyolo (PhD); Bohani Mtileni; Dr. Tlangelani Nghondzweni; Manuel Nicholas Jackson; Oluwafemi J. Caleb; Andre Diatta

Last week the mid-term conference and training week for the Erasmus funded European Union project, the Centres of Vocational Excellence in Climate Smart Agriculture in South Africa was successfully completed. This event took place in Stellenbosch and Paarl from 14 to 18 October and was attended by delegates from West Coast TVET College, Boland College, and Lovedale TVET College as well as Stellenbosch University. Facilitators included Sandra Adriaansens (Maastricht University in the Netherlands), Michaela Menšíková (Mendelova University in the Czech Republic) and Wynand Espach (AgriColleges International in South Africa). The programme included sessions on project management, European Union values, cultural diversity, and leadership, amongst others. The three colleges also presented their action plans for the project for the next six months. There was also time for a field trip and dinner at the Klein Goederust Boutique Winery in Franschhoek as well as a tour through the climate-smart HortiDemo Centre at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of Stellenbosch University. Our sincere thanks to Casidra SOC Ltd., the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University and the Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Science for the use of their facilities and continued support. #ClimateSmartAgriculture #VocationalExcellence #EUProject #TVET #CulturalDiversity

Boland College CoVE strives to bring the industry needs closer to academic delivery The Boland College CoVE hub is part of two projects funded by agencies in Europe related to the development of knowledge and skills in the agricultural sector. Cilck on the link below to read the full article to learn more about the projects funded by the European Union Erasmus programme and NUFFIC, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education: https://lnkd.in/deGr_ynM

We are proud of announce the success of our Water Quality and Risk Management short course in Mpumalanga. From 18-20 September, the participants gained invaluable expertise in risk-based water safety and operational activities, enabling them to develop and implement effective Water Safety Plans and Wastewater Risk Management Plans. Moreover, this course is part of the South African Centre of Vocational Excellence in Water, a key component of the European Commission-funded Platform of Vocational Excellence Water project. We extend our gratitude to our dedicated participants, expert facilitators, collaborative partners, and funding partners Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) for making this initiative a success. #WaterQuality #RiskManagement #CapacityBuilding #WaterSafety #Mpumalanga #SouthAfrica #Training #Collaboration #Sustainability #VocationalExcellence #PlatformOfVocationalExcellence