College of Science, Engineering & Technology
Enhancing graduate employability and industry readiness
On 28 May 2025, Unisa’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET), through its School of Engineering and Built Environment (SEBE), recently hosted its inaugural Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Indaba at the Science Campus (Florida).
Producing industry-ready graduates while fostering long-term relationships
The event, led by Prof Ndivhuwo Ndou (School’s director), served as a pivotal platform to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, with a key focus on bridging the gap between students and industry stakeholders.
Prof Ndivhuwo Ndou, director of the School of Engineering, and Tiresh Bedesi from BMW
The WIL Indaba brought together leading companies and organisations, fostering new relationships and partnerships to enhance student employability and industry readiness. Notable participants included Ntiyiso Consulting, the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), BMW Johannesburg, City Power, Tshilidzi Holdings, Festo, ECOPROW and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, among others.
Christopher Bvumbi who represented Unisa’s Estates Department, highlighted the institution’s commitment to infrastructure development and sustainability. Gordon Molamu of the Graduate Employment Office provided valuable insights into the skills and competencies required by today’s job market, equipping students with the knowledge to align their academic training with industry demands.
The event underscored the university’s dedication to producing industry-ready graduates while fostering long-term relationships with key players in engineering and the built environment. Moving forward, such initiatives are expected to become a cornerstone of Unisa’s strategy to ensure that students are not only academically proficient but also workplace ready.
Prof Ndivhuwo Ndou and Samkelisiwe Maila, founder and director of ECOPROW
This landmark event marks a significant step in Unisa’s commitment to producing industry-ready professionals equipped with knowledge toward creating employment by opening their own companies through the training opportunities offered by the collaboration between academia and industry.
Through the work-integrated learning initiative, the university’s alumna founded ECOPROW, a dynamic mining and construction solutions company led by a team of 100% black women engineers.
* By Sibongile Masango, Marketing Assistant, and Vutivi Ngwenya, Work-Integrated Learning Administrator, College of Science, Engineering and technology
Publish date: 2025/06/24
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