On 18 July 2018 a handful of the best engineering students from the North-West University (NWU) were selected to attend an exclusive networking event with members from Omnia Holdings, an international chemical manufacturing company.

Mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering students who are in their final year of postgraduate studies attended the exclusive event at the NWU Botanical Gardens in Potchefstroom.

The aim of the networking event was to give the cream of the crop the opportunity to get inside information on industry expectations, and for Omnia to assess the quality of students that the NWU produces.

To kick off the cocktail event, Thoriso Maseng, manager of the NWU Career Centre, welcomed all the guests and gave an overview of the cocktail event. “The purpose of this event is to encourage more interaction between students and industry partners through socialising and networking,” he said. He added that it also allows students and businesses to assess industry expectations and the culture fit between NWU students and industry.

Johan Victor and Chaital Harry from Omnia gave insightful presentations on the group’s mining, chemical and agricultural business units and job opportunities.

Thoriso says the interaction between Omnia’s staff members, students and senior staff members from the Faculty of Engineering was positive and extremely fruitful. He adds that the students were enthusiastic and displayed positive energy during the event as they engaged in discussions.

“We hope that that this event will motivate other students to improve their academic performance with the intent of gaining access to these networking events that will afford them the opportunity to interact with potential employers,” concludes Thoriso. 

NWU staff members enjoying the evening with some of the Omnia representatives that attended the networking event.