DUT’s latest academic unit – the Centre for Continuing and Professional Education (CCPE) – which provides lifelong learning opportunities, is now operational after its launch yesterday (Wednesday, 18 March 2014).

The launch, which was attended by members of staff, various senior and executive heads of departments, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Ahmed Bawa and CCPE Director, Kavita Beemsen, was held at the University’s Mansfield Hall, DUT Mansfield Campus, Steve Biko Road.

CCPE operates as an outward-focused dynamic interface between the DUT and its external context, providing lifelong learning opportunities by centrally managing and co-ordinating the University’s continuing education courses. The establishment of the unit was approved by the University Council in September last year (2014).
CCPE offers courses ranging from single-day events to full degree programmes and everything in between. Customised courses can also be created to meet strategic objectives and needs, to help organisations build capability by either modifying one of the University’s existing courses or developing an entirely new one.
“It’s not simply about income generation. The most important reason is that it becomes a kind of face for the University,” said Prof Bawa in his address. “The idea is that this (CCPE) becomes a demand led operation. This is saying, what are the needs out there and how can we respond to those needs. That’s why it’s such an important operation of the University, because it opens the way for us to be much more resident with the educational needs of South Africa,” he said.

Prof Bawa said with the majority of DUT’s students being between the ages of 18 and 24, CCPE will allow DUT to “speak” to older students, such as those already in industry. “For me, that’s the most compelling reason why a place like DUT should have a structure like CCPE. The other side is we (DUT) have to generate an income. Firstly, if one looks at the subsidy that universities receive per full time student, that figure, for the last five years, is declining, and that’s before you take inflation into account. The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be change in that funding trajectory. Unlike other universities, we won’t be in a position to increase student fees by any large amount because this will result in access issues, so the only option we have is to look at additional streams of income and CCPE would be one of these,” said Prof Bawa, urging attendees to speak to Kavita if they have an idea for a course that DUT could offer through CCPE.

Go to http://www.ccpe.ac.za/ for more information on the courses and the unit.

– Sinegugu Ndlovu

Pictured: CCPE Director, Kavita Beemsen, during her address at the CCPE launch yesterday (Wednesday, 18 March 2014).