The Director of the Durban University’s Co-Operative Education Department, Shakeel Ori, is no stranger to receiving accolades. He has been recently appointed as the newest member of the WACE Executive Committee. The World Association for Cooperative Education (WACE) was founded in 1983 to foster co-operative education and other work integrated learning programmes worldwide. Its main goals are to build a membership of educators and employers from around the world, produce biennial world conferences on co-operative education and develop a newsletter, with worldwide distribution, devoted to issues involved in work integrated learning and co-operative education.
Ori works passionately in forging close working relationships between students and industry and the dynamic and hard-working director has now been given the ‘world’ opportunity to join 14 other highly respected colleagues, who will meet once a year, to set up policy and plans for the global organisation as well as to collaborate with programme committees to make sure that WACE events (research symposiums and world conferences) have a strong research stream.

Speaking on his achievement on being selected to represent DUT at the WACE executive committee, Ori said he is excited to be part of the Executive of such a world body.
Speaking on his achievement on being selected to represent DUT at the WACE executive committee, Ori said he is excited to be part of the Executive of such a world body.

“I have been on the WACE Board of Directors for seven years and we have participated in their world events, including hosting the WACE World Conference here in Durban. And given that there has been a lot of focus on the change of the WIL body, it was decided that I will be a suitable candidate for the WACE executive committee. The other reason that I am happy to be on board is that there are many more countries that are adopting WIL for their national strategy for employability and that is something I am keen to help promote,” he said excitedly.
Speaking more about the Co-op department, Ori added that the unit’s objective is to facilitate cooperation between DUT, external stakeholders, community and governmental departments. The department has two main divisions, one being for experiential learning placements (WIL) and the other for graduate placement.

Through Ori’s successful networking and through his role as a South African Business Events ambassador, past- president of SASCE as well as Director of the World Association for Co-operative Education, he has been at the forefront of engagement with many industries which he persuades to take on DUT students in the work industry or community for experimental learning. One of the outcomes of this unit is that it has brought funding for research students and bursaries just by linking up with the right people and SETAs

Vice-Chancellor and Principal of DUT, Thandwa Mthembu congratulated Ori on his achievement on the world stage. “As fellow DUT staff members, we could only bask in your glory with great pride. Thanks a lot for the opportunity,” he said proudly.

Ori said his success, as well as that of his unit, is as a result of “good relationships that we build and nurture with external organisations and companies as well as people across the University” who have supported the work of his department. “Going forward, we need to prepare students to be work ready. That is, they must have work ethics and realise that the world of work is different from an academic classroom. Lecturers should also play a more active role in preparing the students for the workplace in the future. Education is a partnership, which, through Co-operative and Work-integrated Education, allows the development of graduate attributes, employability (including self-employability and entrepreneurship) and improved academic performance – it’s not just giving out academic certificates,” he said.

Pictured: Shakeel Ori

-Waheeda Peters