The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Management Sciences, in partnership with ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA), recently hosted a guest lecture for undergraduate BCom safety management students and lecturers at the Vanderbijlpark Campus.
Mr Dieter Sauer, AMSA senior manager for health and safety, together with Lesley Ramela, AMSA GMR 2.1 certificated engineer, presented the lecture titled “Safety Management and Legal Compliance within AMSA”.
Re-an Müller, associate professor at the School of Management Sciences, says the purpose of the lecture was to give the students a glimpse into the safety management industry and an understanding of how the content they learn will applied in the workplace.
"The core of my teaching philosophy has always been content in context. You need to show how the theory works in practice, especially in a field such as safety management. This lecture and future engagements will do exactly that,” says Re-an.
“Not only does it help to prepare our students for the work environment, but our lecturers also get practical case study examples to use in class."
Re-an adds that the school exposes students to the industry via guest lectures, class visits and industry-inspired assignments on a regular basis. He further reveals that the NWU and AMSA are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to formalise the relationship.
"The plan is to create an ongoing opportunity where we expose students to the safety management industry – specifically ArcelorMittal's Vanderbijlpark Works. The exposure will be in the form of guest lectures and possible site visits to AMSA to do a form of "on-the-job" training and practical exercises," he explains, adding that the MOU would pave the way.
Although various institutions offer several safety management courses and diplomas, Re-an says that the NWU offers the only BCom Safety Management degree in South Africa.
"We aim to equip our graduates with basic management and safety management skills, which is a first, as the majority of other courses only focus on safety. Approximately 60% of the BCom programme consists of business management-related modules, combined with a series of safety management-specific modules,” says Re-an
Dieter says AMSA is excited to partner with NWU. "We are extremely excited to be partnering with NWU as it is the only institution that offers a BCom Safety Management degree in South Africa. The Vanderbijlpark Works is one of the world's largest inland steel mills and the largest supplier of flat steel products in sub-Saharan Africa. It is perfect for student exposure, and we can offer selected students the opportunity to join us after their studies.
The NWU’s School of Management Sciences are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) to expose students to the industry. From left are Esna Viljoen, AMSA safety training manager, Amelia Van Buren, AMSA Schelle safety specialist, Nadia Moosa, AMSA manager for health, hygiene and wellness, Re-an Müller, deputy-director of the NWU’s School of Management Sciences, Lesley Ramela, AMSA GMR 2.1 certificated engineer, Dieter Sauer, AMSA senior manager for health and safety, and Stephan Roets, director of ESS Holdings.
