Those who graduate from this school will get a chance to work at any Samsung service centre worldwide or start their own business.
South Korean cellphone multinational conglomerate, Samsung, has given the Gert Sibande Tvet College in Mpumalanga an engineering academy.
The electronic academy was launched and handed over to the GS College at its Skills Academy and Artisan Development Centre in Standerton.
College principal Nick Balkrishen said this comes after they partnered with Samsung and after they wanted to be a relevant college providing training that is relevant and responsive to the needs of the labour market.
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We are so excited about the launch of this Gert Sibande SAMSUNG
Engineering Academy as it will extend the basket of programmes offered by the Gert Sibande Skills Academy,” said Balkrishen.
“This academy will provide training that will feed directly into the labour market,” he said.
He said scarce skills like refrigeration and air-conditioning, fixing house-hold electric appliances and cellphones benefits the community very much and that is why a centre like this will play a key role.
The event of handing over the centre on Monday this week was attended by higher education deputy minister Mduduzi Manana and Samsung SA president Sung Yoon and other college and government officials.
Balkrishen said this is one of the ways they try to tackle engineering and technical skill shortages in Mpumalanga and South Africa.
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The cellphone company say this will equip underprivileged students attending government technical schools with the skills and practical experience required to make them competitive across the world and expose them to economic development.
“We remain indebted to Samsung for providing this opportunity to us,” Balkrishen said.
“As a college, we are committed to utilise the GS Samsung Engineering Academy optimally for the benefit of the community, especially the unemployed,” he said.
(edited by MLM)
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