Samsung Innovation Campus turns dreams into reality for Free State students

In celebration of three years of partnership, a recent graduation ceremony highlighted the achievements of 34 students from the Central University of Technology (CUT). The event showcased the vital role played by the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) programme in fostering innovation and critical skills development among Free State’s youth and SA as a whole. In particular, this graduation was the perfect time to recognise the successful partnership between CUT and Samsung Electronics over the past three years.

The event shone a spotlight on how the SIC programme has empowered CUT students with cutting-edge Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) skills that can significantly boost employability in the country’s technology sector. I extend our sincere appreciation to Samsung for its steadfast commitment to youth empowerment and digital transformation The main focus of this SIC programme in collaboration with CUT has been improving employment opportunities — a much-needed approach in a province that is full of potential, but is placed among the most affected when it comes to unemployment numbers in SA. This three-year milestone began with a memorandum of agreement signed in November 2022 — making CUT the second institution in SA to host the SIC programme.

Over the past three years, this collaboration has focused on training CUT students in artificial intelligence, coding and programming. Additionally, the curriculum focus of the SIC programme at CUT has combined both theoretical learning with practical applications and capstone projects to prepare students for real-world technology challenges. Prof Samson Mashele, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, expressed gratitude to Samsung, saying SIC was more than just a corporate initiative; it was an “investment in human potential”.

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“On behalf of the Central University of Technology, I extend our sincere appreciation to Samsung for its steadfast commitment to youth empowerment and digital transformation,” he said. Through this partnership, he said, critical 4IR capabilities in coding, AI and emerging technologies were no longer abstract concepts; they were lived competencies within the student community.

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