Page 74 - Annual Report A4

TUT SARCHI Chair

and Incubator Explore

Transforming Training in TVET

Colleges

ollowing Dr Blade Nzimande’s dialogue on positioning TUT towards the 4th Industrial
Revolution and the future of work, Prof. Khumbulani Mpofu, Gibela Research
FChair and SARCHI Chair holder in Future Transport Manufacturing Technologies
(FTMT) and Xolani Skosana, RMCERI incubated technopreneurs are exploring virtual
reality (VR) for upskilling and reskilling at TVET colleges. Speaking at the meeting that
took place between TUT, TVET colleges, Directorate of TVET Curriculum Development
and Support (CDS) and DHET, Prof. Khumbulani Mpofu stated that the proposed
VR solution will expand the capacity of TVET colleges by rendering virtual replicas
of workshops and trade test centres, making workplace-based training accessible
across multiple devices, especially amid Covid-19 social distancing regulations.

Prof. Mpofu explained that the offering will
assist TVET colleges in developing skills
needed for the rapidly changing economy
and supporting the efforts of the South
African Economic Reconstruction and
Recovery Plan (ERRP). Most significantly,
this initiative will reduce ww time, costs
and the learner failure rate. In addition,
colleagues from DHET applauded how this
solution addresses burning issues in TVET
colleges and they are convinced about the
indefinite adoption of VR as a training tool.
They have also offered to avail curriculum-
related information and support that will be
required during prototype development.

Prof Khumbulani Mpofu

Other concerns raised at the meeting include the imbalance between rural and urban
areas in terms of access to training infrastructure, ensuring technology transfer to
reduce lecturer reliance on the service provider and leverage the economy of scales by
digitalising non-engineering courses to increase the number of users whilst reducing
license costs. In response to these concerns, Prof. Mpofu and his team further
introduced the Proof of Concepts (PoCs) developed by the X-Reality Lab, an incubatee
of RMCERI under the project titled “Digital Railcar Manufacturing Factory (DRMF)”.
DHET commended the PoCs as falling in line with the occupational programmes being

70 RESEARCH CHAIR IN MANUFACTURING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2021/22