The WorldSkills SA national competition took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre earlier this year. Participants competed in various skills areas ranging from manufacturing technology to IT and business administration. WorldSkills is a global organisation that promotes vocational, technological and service- oriented education and training, and local winners stand a chance to compete in the finals to be held in Brazil this year.
Festo, a proud global sponsor of WorldSkills International, demonstrated three competencies as part of the popular try-a-skills programme: mechatronics, mobile robotics and a new skill – aquatronics. “Our mechatronics DJ robots, mobile robotics Robotino and aquatronics water rig were on display,” explains Daniel Gauch from the product management group of Festo Didactic GmbH.
The purpose of try-a-skill is to interest young people in choosing engineering a career, which is why the competition was open for three days with such a large number of schools visited.
Aquatronics is a new skill globally and was first showcased at WorldSkills Leipzig in 2013. “The skill is based on the water training rig developed through the GIZ and Festo Didactic here in South Africa. This new discipline will contribute to promoting vocational training and education in a field that presents major challenges around the world – the provision of a stable and sustainable water supply,” says Gauch. “To showcase this ambitious new skill in South Africa is very exciting and ties in with the innovation and promotion of new skills that we seek to foster.”
Festo’s experts at WorldSkills Cape Town were Gauch, Chris Oliver: WorldSkills SA expert for mobile robotics and David Setlhake WorldSkills SA expert for mechatronics. This was Oliver’s third WorldSkills Competition and both he and Setlhake will be accompanying the winning team to São Paulo.
“The competition was a great success and everyone brought their A-game. It is incredibly encouraging to see the vast amount of talent South Africa has to offer. The winners will be announced at a later date and we look forward to seeing who will be going to Brazil to represent South Africa,” concludes Gauch.
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.
Read more...Hytec opens fifteenth Mandela Day library Bosch Rexroth Africa
News
Over 200 learners at Monene Primary School in rural Limpopo have received their own containerised library. This is the fifteenth library since 2011, provided by Hytec South Africa and the Nelson Mandela School Library Project to schools across the country.
Read more...CSIR survey on the state of cybersecurity in South Africa
News
The CSIR Information and Cybersecurity Centre has released four comprehensive national cybersecurity surveys. These delve into critical areas such as cybersecurity preparedness and resilience in the public sector, cybersecurity skills gaps, cybersecurity incidents, and the digital identity landscape in South Africa.
Read more...Referro Systems partners with Festo in Northern Cape
News
Referro Systems has been recognised as an Authorised Official Partner Candidate for Festo in the Northern Cape, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to delivering best-in-class automation solutions to customers.
Read more...Heavy-duty tablet achieves global certification Vepac Electronics
News
In a significant advancement for the company’s rugged tablets, the Teguar TRT-5380-10 heavy-duty tablet from Vepac has successfully acquired 11 international certifications, setting a new standard in quality, safety, and security across global markets.
Read more...RS PRO expands automation range RS South Africa
News
As automation continues to revolutionise production facilities, RS PRO, the trusted own brand of RS, is expanding its product range to meet the growing demand for smarter, more efficient processes.
Read more...From the editor's desk: Killer science Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
I couldn’t resist watching The World Industrial Reporter’s video on Ten Scientists Killed By Their Own Experiments. Some of them would have deserved the Darwin Award for taking themselves out of the ...
printer friendly version