Some of the largest Eastern Cape employers Altron’s Aberdare Cables, Xerox and Powertech may in future use NMMU students to assist with research and development while NMMU will be involved with educational opportunities for Altron staff.
“Our university should be more innovatively wired into industry”, Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz said at the signing of a new three-year memorandum of understanding signed this week establishing a base for further collaboration between the two partners.
In one of the most longstanding relationships since 1998 Altron has supported not only the university’s ICT infrastructure but also battery research, tracking devices in zoology research, optical fibres, electrical engineering learnerships and sport bursaries, among others.
The importance of cutting-edge technology for NMMU, its programme delivery and its students in this era of fast-changing technology were emphasised.
The partnership will in future be driven more strategically with a committee working on projects of mutual benefit such as better ICT processes for student registration, commercial copy centres on campus for student use, SMART buildings with increased ICT functionality and support for personal computing items such as IPads, tablets or notebooks for students.
As Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Piet Naudé said, “We need to turn education around to solve the problems of this country and work towards a knowledge economy”.
Altron CEO Robbie Venter supported the various future projects and added that the new three years should be another “winning relationship”.
Altron CEO Robbie Venter and NMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz
