CUT renewed our partnership with the Free State Provincial Government on 22 May 2018. The MoU signed between the two entities represents a model of collaboration that is not only mutually beneficial, but also central to their mandate of providing quality education and services to the people of the Free State.

The collaboration aims to bring CUT and the province together to focus on exploiting their organisational strengths, skills and knowledge that will enhance social and technological innovations, which will, in turn, bring solutions to the current challenges facing the province.

At the signing ceremony, Prof. Henk de Jager, Vice-Chancellor and Principal said that CUT embraces innovation and strives to ensure that it has a vast impact in the society. “We need to ensure that our graduates are well equipped with the necessary skills and live an entrepreneurial culture to be able to promote and have an impact on the socio-economic development of the region and beyond.” He further said that the partnership will aid in the venture towards addressing unemployment and poverty which will eventually uplift the social imbalances. “This will also ensure a better future for all people in our province.”

He said that provincial economic growth can be accelerated through innovations around manufacturing. “Through this partnership, we would like to establish hi-tech businesses which will link to the manufacturing environment, provide hi-tech solutions to communities by educating our students to a level where they will be able to produce such. Other secondary matters important to us as a university relates to student accommodation, the safety of our staff and students and the concepts of smart cities, he concluded.

Director General Mr Kopung Ralikontsane said that they have identified specific areas of collaboration which they want to strengthen. He further alluded on the idea of smart cities that has now been introduced to the province. “We are working hard in ensuring sustainable service delivery in the province, which provides focus for the conceptualisation of smart cities. The other key area of collaboration is Maccauvlei. We intend to establish skills academy without duplicating the work that our universities. We are also relying on CUT’s expertise and support to help us strengthening this newly established school.”

Mr Ralikontsane said the province is ready to join forces with the university on the areas of the green economy focusing on e-waste. “We would like to strengthen the efforts of SMMEs, mould and grow them so that they can be sustainable.”

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From left: Prof. Henk de Jager, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Mr Kopung Ralikontsane, Director General: FSPG and Prof. Alfred Ngowi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement.