A livened CUT Bloemfontein campus on 07 May 2016 hosted high schools – including learners, teachers, and parents – who joined campus life for one day and explored what CUT could offer future entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, environmentalists, teachers, artists, managers, accountants and many more. 

Apart from Open Day being a career orientated and exhibition event, it aimed to showcase the uniqueness of the University’s programmes and its academic excellence. 

This year the Open Day has helped the University to increase the University brand and to meet its student enrolment target in the academic year 2017.  During the Open Day, the university was able to reach out to prospective students from 103 schools in all provinces and SADC region. "I have never seen so many learners attending the Open Day at CUT before. Boet Troskie hall was full to its capacity  while a large number of learners were standing outside. Displays at faculty stalls were also beyond any one’s expectation or imagination. It was like a July handicap festival,” said Prof. David Ngidi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning. Parents and teachers were also impressed about CUT’s tailor made programmes that not only equip the learners with knowledge and skills and add to the graduate statistics, but the skills that will aid them to discover their full potential and even exploit it to the benefit of their communities. 

Prof. Ngidi applauded parents and teachers for taking the initiative of accompanying their learners and exposing them to Open day career exhibitions that would allow them to make informed decisions when making career choices.  He advised them to guide and support their children’s career choices instead of choosing careers for them. “I believe that as parents we should always rally behind our children’s choices as those choices will be part of them for their entire career lives. Let us be there for them but most importantly, let us give them that freedom to follow their hearts.”