Four students of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment were among a group of students that represented TUT in the WorldSkills competition held at the Pretoria Campus on 11 and 12 June. Leroy Justin Smith and Wessel du Plessis entered the Mechatronics category, while Buks Coetzee and Bathabile Motsepe represented the institution in the Robotics category. Students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University also took part in the competition.

“I’m delighted about the exposure my students received and I am proud of them for participating in this strongly contested competition,” says Christopher Kumile, Mechatronics and Robotics lecturer. “It’s the first time the students were introduced to an event of this calibre with very experienced competitors from other universities,” he adds.

The WorldSkills competition is held every two years and acts as a platform where young people compete to become world champions in their fields. Competitors from 38 member nations worldwide are selected from regional and national competitions. It sets world-class standards in at least 40 skills categories.

Two students of the Department of Horticulture were announced the winners of the local gardening category. They will participate in the WorldSkills Competition, due to take place in Canada from 2 to 5 September.