Our Story
Waterberg FET College in South Africa's Limpopo province was created after a merger between Potgietersrus Technical College and Lebowakgomo Commercial College in 2002.
The college operates across two municipal districts, Lepelle-Nkumbi (which includes Polokwane, formerly Pietersburg) and Mogalakwene (Mokopane, formerly known as Potgietersrus) through five business centres.
These centres, previously known as campuses, were created in 2006. Each centre specialises in a specific area of study, as is indicated by their names.

The centres are: Business Studies Centre (previously known as the Mahwelereng campus) Information Technology and Computer Science Centre (previously the Mokopane campus), Hospitality and Tourism training centre (a new development site), an Engineering and Skills Training Centre (previously known as the Lebowakgomo campus).
There is also a farm for agricultural training in the Sterkrivier area near Naboomspruit.
Waterberg College uses these centres to put into action its vision -- "to be a leader in the provision of quality learning and marketable skills".

The name Waterberg was chosen for the college as four of its centres are situated in the Waterberg region. As this is a region characterised by its many tourist attractions and destinations, there is a need to empower the people in this region with tourism and hospitality skills. Waterberg is also a mining area, thus Engineering is one of the key programmes offered by the college. Similarly, the college considers agricultural skills as an important area oftraining. Many of the communities surrounding the college make their living from farming. This is why the college offers a learnership in Agriculture.

Through the implementation of the skills mentioned, the college is responding to the communities it serves, while it remains alert to new skills needs that may emerge.

Number of Students
Headcount: 4 484
Full-time equivalents: 1 282

Location
Limpopo

Campuses
- Mokopane
- Mahwelereng and
- Lebowakgomo

Critical Skills
Agriculture, Horticulture, Tourism, Hospitality.

Key Strengths
A strong focus on student support, a focused marketing strategy and partnerships to provide learnership training.

CIothing Production: The college offers a course in clothing production on NQF Level 2. Its partners in this venture are clothing production companies Astra and Barbarian. The goals of this partnership are to expose students to the industry equipment they will work with; to make students available to work in the factories when the companies have larger orders and to reduce unemployment since skilled students can be employed when the factory needs staff.

Motor Mechanics: Waterberg FET college has entered into a partnership with Limpopo Toyota. The goals of the partnership are to use the company's staff to help the college develop programmes acceptable to the motor industry. Furthermore, the company makes its facilities available for student apprentices, while it could also offer placements to students upon completion of their studies. The company has also been donating disused parts to the motor mechanical workshop to be utilised for training.

Umsobomvu Youth Fund: The fund has instituted an Agricultural learnership that enables 37 students to obtain National Certificates in Farming at NQF Level 2. A significant offshoot of this partnership is that the college is producing vegetables for Fruit & Veg City in Mokopane.ln addition, the fund has enabled students to do a learnership in Plant Production NQF Level 2. The learnership started in April 2005 with 50 students, with 24 of them receiving certificates. The fund had undertaken to take the remaining 13 students into incubation for a period of six months to train them in business skills.

Government Departments: The Department of Public Works has funded 67 students to participate in a Horticulture learnership on NQF Level 1. The project runs over a year. The learnership started in May 2006. At the end of the programme, these students will receive certificates from the Agricultural Sector SETA. The college also has a partnership with the Molaodi Community Developers for the moderation of students and a local hotel, the Park Hotel, for their placement.

SETAs: Education, Training and Development Practices (ETDP) SETA is using the college to train 60 students in the field of Early Childhood Development.

Municipalities:The Capricorn Municipality is funding a short course which is titled the Establishment for Comprehensive Youth Development. The subjects that will be taught include basic computer skills, including word processing, the use of basic spreadsheets and e-mail. The students involved are municipal employees. The college has made its facilities available for the training.

• Management
• Marketing
• Office Administration
• Civil Engineering & Building Construction
• Electrical Infrastructure Construction

Telephone
(015) 491-8581/ 860-2297/ 860- 8367/ 860-8389

Fax
(015) 491-8579

Postal Address
PostNet Suite 59
Private Bag X2449
Mokopane
0600

Email
hq@waterbergcollege.co.za