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Drone awareness training pilot on UFS South Campus

16 March 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs

Drone training — Khanyisile Khanyi, trainer at Alpha One Aviation, and Alinah Nomthandazo Bokopt from Free State News, at the drone awareness training presented on the UFS South Campus.

A mixed group of 20 young people attended a Digital Television Broadcasting training session on the South Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS). The excited group of students received their first practical on drone awareness.

The UFS South Campus was the venue for this session, which formed part of a pilot project for drone awareness training. If the training curriculum is approved by the aviation accrediting body, the UFS Division of Social Responsibility Projects will collaborate with Sollywood South Africa to present a six-month course consisting of theory and practical sessions, including a focus on heritage and culture, converting from analogue to digital format, drone conferencing, creative writing, safety management, entrepreneurship, event management, and drone manufacturing.

Promoting self-employment

Campus Principal, Dr Marinkie Madiope, is thrilled about the possibilities of this pilot development opportunity. “Not many people in South Africa manufacture drones,” she says.

The university will ensure that the training is fit for purpose and that the qualification is recognised. “With its focus on impact and visibility in 2022, the UFS will impact disadvantaged communities by equipping the unemployed youth with the necessary skills to create their own employment.”

The service providers will source funding from the MICTSETA (Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority) to formalise the course content.

Investment in scarce skills

Thandeka Mosholi, Head: Social Responsibility, Enterprise, and Community Engagement on the UFS South Campus, says this project will not only contribute to job creation, but it will also bridge the gap in areas where there is a shortage of skills, such as drone manufacturing. “The skills obtained through this project also align with the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Mosholi adds.

Dr Zama Qampi, Executive Producer at Sollywood South Africa, says the company will erect a warehouse in the Free State later this year, specifically for the drone project.

News Archive

First residence for UFS South Campus

2016-09-01

The residence has 146 double rooms with 17 kitchens
overall, each corridor has one kitchen. The residence
also has a gazellie and a conference room that
can accommodate 50 people.
Photo: Charl Devenish

The South Campus of the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein now has its own student residence. Completed in June 2016, the new residence can accommodate 250 undergraduate and 20 postgraduate students.

The residence has 270 beds, with 20 single-bedroom flats and 12 additional single rooms in the corridors. Each of these single-bedroom flats has a kitchen, lounge, and a bathroom. There are 146 double rooms with 17 kitchens overall, each corridor has one kitchen. The residence also has a gazellie, a conference room that can accommodate 50 people, as well as eight laundry rooms with a drying area.

“Students at the South Campus have, up until now, been commuting from the Bloemfontein Campus and residential areas around town. We are extremely proud that accommodation will now be available to our students on the campus. Although the official opening of the residence is said to take place early in 2017, some students have already moved in,” says Prof Daniella Coetzee, Principal of the South Campus.

The residence was built at a cost of R57 million, which was funded by the UFS and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

Residence accessible to differently-abled people
The UFS strives to cater for differently-abled people by making all its buildings accessible to them. This residence is no exception, as it has two rooms available on the ground floor of Block C for differently-abled students. These rooms accommodate two students per room.

A one-of-a-kind newly installed water system
The residence is also the first at the university that has a grey-water system installed. Grey water is made up of bath, shower, and bathroom sink water. The water will then be reused for toilet flushing as well as for irrigation purposes on the campus.

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