Ekurhuleni West TVET College (EWC) Germiston Campus welcomed three of their students at OR Tambo International Airport as they returned from China on May 19.
The students returned after an 18-month internship in mechatronics with a Chinese-based company, Nanjing Institute of Industry Technology.
In November 2019 Mojalefa Rakgogo, Siphelele Mashinini and Kgatla Kingsley boarded a plane for China.
Phanuel Clement Chauke, marketing and communications practitioner at Ekurhuleni West TVET College, joined the team that welcomed the students at the airport.
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He said there were about 80 students from selected TVET colleges around the country who were returning from China.
“Their internships were in line with their studies. On completion, they will be able to work in mechanical engineering fields, electrical engineering, pneumatics, hydraulics, robotics, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), computer numeric control (CNC) and industrial information technology welding.
“They will be able to now explain fundamental theories and principles of operations and control that make up mechatronic systems, assemble mechatronics systems, test the operations of and commission mechatronics systems,” said Chauke.
The students were hosted in the City of Nanjing (capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province) with other students from African countries.
Rakgogo said they enjoyed their time in China though they arrived at the peak of the pandemic.
“The Chinese government put the country on lockdown. As a result the Chinese students vacated the campus and only the international students remained. We were provided with masks and the necessary protection,” said Rakgogo.
The youngster added that as the world shifts towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, South Africa will need more mechatronic technicians.
Rakgogo said the most difficult thing was verbal communication, as most Chinese people did not speak or understand much English.
The 27-year-old said he hopes to soon find a job in line with his studies.
Mashinini said as the Covid-19 restrictions started to be eased, they toured around China and had wonderful experiences.
“We went to museums. One of them had a brief history of bicycles in China as it is one of their most used vehicles. One company showed us how the technology of stoves is evolving, as one such stove was able to absorb steam,” said Mashinini.
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Marietta Lombard (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, or (Journalists) Busi Vilakazi busiv@caxton.co.za , and Lebogang Sekgwama lebogangs@caxton.co.za.
