Hooray! Spring has finally arrived and we can look forward to some great weather in the months ahead. Getting back to an active lifestyle and gym will be much easier now, I am not sure about the rest of you, but I definitely have a few kg’s to shed?
We at the SAIMC are on another high this month. In just a few weeks, we will once again be hosting the Premier C&I event on the local calendar in the form of our Annual Gala Dinner. We have been astounded by the response from industry. The major sponsorships were all snapped up within a week and all the tables were sold out in two weeks. We even had to add more tables and are expecting to welcome 300 guests on 26 September at the Maslow Hotel. This is now one of the largest annual events in our industry and will definitely not disappoint. For those of you who cannot make it, all the fun and announcements will be captured in the November issue of SA Instrumentation and Control and on www.saimc.co.za shortly after the event – a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to everyone in the in industry for supporting this event so enthusiastically.
On a more serious note, the SAIMC Education and Training sub-committee also has great news to share. On 11 July Government Gazette no. 37835 was published and this contained the EWSETA Qualification Development for an Instrument Mechanician, NQF level 5. This qualification has now been published for public comment before it goes back to SAQA for final verification. This is indeed a milestone for our industry and more will be forthcoming. I would like to thank our hardworking chairperson of the Education and Training committee, Johan Maartens, under whose leadership the SAIMC was able to contribute to this important document. Furthermore, The SAIMC would like to thank Smirre (Martin) Smit from ESKOM for involving the SAIMC in this initiative as well as Eric Carter (Johannesburg branch chairperson) for attending the workshops at his own cost.
Also, late last year the Industrial Instrumentation Group (IIG) and the SAIMC took the decision to fund the establishment of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Technology Challenge (FTC) brought to us by Johannes de Vries via the Tshwane University of Technology. This was by way of seed funding to the value of R200 000. Those of you who attended last year’s SAIMC Gala Dinner would remember this announcement.
The FTC targets students from grade 7-12 who are required to design, manufacture and program a robot to compete against fellow teams in a fixed challenge that is set globally from the FTC head offices in the USA. The FTC organisation, whose vision is to show students of every age that science, technology and problem-solving are not only fun and rewarding, but they are proven paths to successful careers and a bright future for us all. In 2014 the FTC will reach out to almost 300 000 children globally.
The first competition was held during August at the Sci-Bono Science Centre in Johannesburg and was a great success, which bodes well for the future. What is needed now is additional funding to ensure that we can accommodate all 21 teams: We kindly request that you or your organisation consider getting involved in this fantastic initiative. TUT is a registered organisation in terms of section 18A of the tax act and a percentage of every donation can be claimed as tax deductable.
If our industry has contributed to your development and progress, we encourage you to please support a team or even to make a once off donation. This can be done by simply contacting Johannes (deVriesJ@tut.ac.za) and he will do the rest. Our country more than ever requires good citizenry both at individual and business levels. This is patently evident in the education sector and is particularly applicable to the maths and science subjects. So, if your organisation is passionate about the future of the engineering profession please find some funds within your budget to get involved and give something back to ensure the future development of our industry and children.
Looking forward to a massive response from all of you out there!
Please mail me your thoughts on vinesh.maharaj@saimc.co.za
Working together, achieving more, Vinesh Maharaj, President.
| Tel: | +27 11 312 2445 |
| Email: | ina@saimc.co.za |
| www: | www.saimc.co.za |
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