Mr Sekoele Ramajoe, Manager: International Student Recruitment, Communications, and Internationalisation at Home (I@H), and Ms Martina Moss, Deputy Director: Staff and Student Mobility.

The Central University of Technology participated in the 34th annual European Association for International Education (EAIE) Conference and Exhibition, held from 17–20 September 2024 in Toulouse, France. The event attracted over 7,300 participants from 110 countries, with more than 900 organisations represented.

For the first time in the history of the conference,16 South African universities, including CUT, exhibited together under the "Study South Africa" banner organised by the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA), highlighting the country's higher education offerings, including CUT’s summer school programs.

The university was represented by Mr Sekoele Ramajoe, Manager: International Student Recruitment, Communications, and Internationalisation at Home (I@H), and Ms. Martina Moss, Deputy Director: Staff and Student Mobility.Together, they not only showcased CUT’s programs but also presented two posters highlighting key initiatives within the university's I@H and student mobility efforts.

The first poster, titled From Free State to World Stage: The Journey of CUT’s IT Students in Global Employability, focused on the experience of CUT's IT students who participated in student exchange programs with Aalen and Ulm University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The program, designed against the backdrop of South Africa's unemployment crisis, equipped CUT students with essential technical skills and a global perspective. Through exposure to advanced learning environments and practical projects, students developed both academically and personally, enhancing their employability and entrepreneurial spirit in a competitive global market. Their experiences also fostered cultural exchange, helping them to cultivate intercultural competencies.

The second poster, Global Connect: Advancing CUT Graduate Attributes through Internationalisation at Home, highlighted the university's efforts to foster global citizenship. This project connected CUT students with over 3000 business students from +100 universities in over 40 countries. Through global virtual teams, the students worked on real-world business challenges, gaining valuable experience in problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and teamwork. The project demonstrated improvements in eight of CUT's graduate attributes, including communication, technological literacy, and global leadership, providing students with vital intercultural competencies.

Through initiatives like Global Connect and the IT student exchange program, CUT is preparing students for the global workforce and contributing to the development of international higher education.

There were also important networks which South African universities were invited through IEASA like GLOSOUTH, Colombian University consortium. CUT had a meeting with the Attaché for Scientific and University Cooperation at the French Embassy in South Africa, Mr Aurélien Leynet where they discussed an array of topics including partnerships between the university and French counterparts and possible mobility funding modalities.

CUT’s participation in the EAIE conference underscored the importance of international collaboration for enhancing the university’s global presence and strengthening its academic offerings. Conferences like the EAIE offer invaluable opportunities for building connections with global education leaders, reconnect with partners and exploring new exchange programs, mobility initiatives and the international summer school programs which are offered by CUT as well as potential partners for Faculty-led programs to be offered by CUT.