Marvin Jacobs

Vaal University of Technology

Established in 2004 as Vaal University of Technology (VUT), it originated as a College of Advanced Technical Education (1966-1979) and was later known as Vaal Triangle Technikon (1979-2003). As part of the transformation of the higher education sector in 2004, institutional restructuring reduced, through mergers and incorporations, the number of institutions of higher education and training in South Africa from 36 to 23. Vaal University of Technology was subsequently established under the Higher Education Act, No 101 of 1997. Based in southern Gauteng, Vaal University of Technology draws students from all regions of the country as well as 25 other countries. It is one of the largest universities of technology in South Africa, with an annual enrolment of about 21 000 students. The University is well positioned to make a substantial contribution to the development of human capital in the southern Gauteng region, the country and the continent. It has four faculties: Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences Faculty of Engineering and Technology Faculty of Human Sciences Faculty of Management Sciences. VUT has four campuses. The Vanderbijlpark Campus is situated on 4.6 hectares of land with a state-of-the-art Library, lecture halls, laboratories, auditoriums and offices. Three satellite campuses extend the academic business of the university into Secunda in Mpumalanga and Ekurhuleni in Daveyton (also in Gauteng) and Upington, in the Northern Cape. Southern Gauteng Science and Technology Park is an extension of the main campus which is located in Sebokeng. This is the seat of Southern Gauteng Innovation Hub. VUT is located in a highly industrialised area alongside major petro-chemical, steel, engineering, telecommunications and manufacturing companies. It is also surrounded by communities with poor economic backgrounds.