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Tech Students Conquer All Odds To Fulfil Their Dreams

Inspiration /

Tech Students Conquer All Odds to Fulfil Their Dreams Three remarkable young women beat the challenges and distractions of lockdown to achieve success. Three young women have risen above difficult circumstances exacerbated by the Covid-19 lockdowns to keep up with demanding study schedules and remain an inspiring force for their families and friends. Glory Matshete (28) from Brits in the North West, Sibaxolise Mningiswa (20) from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape and Maishibe Thobela (20) from Pretoria in Gauteng are united in one thing: a thirst to make their dreams come true, no matter what.   Now in their second year of a three-year Bachelor of Information Technology degree at South African ITversity Belgium Campus, sponsored by the Datatec Education and Technology Foundation, the three women are aiming to carve out IT careers for themselves in the fields of science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM), in all of which there are massive skills gaps in South Africa’s economy.

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Women’s Month: Alumna: Simone van Buuren

Alumni /

Women’s Month: Alumna: Simone van Buuren Graduated: 2015 with a Bachelor of ComputingCurrent position: Senior Software Engineer at Qorus Software What does your job entail?“As a senior member of the main product team, my job entails practical problem solving through code, making design decisions with our product architect, and helping team leads by mentoring junior members of the team. I also give input on product features, technical standards and team processes.” What is the coolest/ most exciting thing about your job?“Having worked in a broad spectrum of technologies and platforms with massive companies such as HBO, Disney, and Apple, I would say that the most exciting thing about my job is actually the endless list of things I am not an expert on. I have to constantly push myself outside of my comfort zone. I have to learn new things, apply my mind differently, and be open to diverse solutions for both mundane and interesting problems.” What does Women’s Month mean to you?“Women’s Month is a time to acknowledge and uplift the women around us, especially those who are marginalised.” Are you inspired by any women in the IT field?The CTO of Qorus, Stephanie Laurent, is someone I look up to. She is not just a woman in power, but also a leader and a queer woman. She is someone who has gone from working in technical roles to leading the technology branch of a company. She’s definitely a force to be reckoned with. What advice do you have for women considering a career in IT?“This is a hard one, because I know I’ve definitely faced prejudice and discrimination in the workplace (and I can’t imagine what it would be like for those who are of colour) and I understand how disheartening it is. I try to remind myself of the many incredible women challenging change in IT, and the broader STEM felids, to allow all individuals to safely contribute and participate. I think it is also important to find your people. They will be the ones who support you and never make you feel afraid to be yourself.” -Louise Fuller

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Women’s Month: Alumna: Boipelo Motshabi

Alumni /

Women’s Month: Alumna: Boipelo Motshabi Graduated: 2018 with a Diploma in Information TechnologyCurrent position: Software Developer at FNB What does your job entail?I translate business requirement into software requirements and then develop software solutions for clients and customers. What is the coolest/ most exciting thing about your job?I get to use technology to solve the world’s problems and improve our daily lives. What made you pursue a career in IT?Honestly, I didn’t choose IT, it chose me. I was awarded with a scholarship to study at Belgium Campus and that’s where my love for IT began. It has only grown from there and I can’t imagine doing anything else. What does Women’s Month mean to you?Women’s Month reminds us of the women of 1996 who bravely stood up for our rights. It is a reminder to dream big and boldly, despite the gender stereotypes that still exist today. Are you inspired by any women in the IT field?The women I work with inspire me. Seeing them in leadership positions and watching them take charge in boardrooms filled with men, motivates me to work hard to reach my professional goals. Representation is important. If women do not see women in leadership positions, it is much harder for them to envision themselves in such positions. What advice do you have for women considering a career in IT?Work hard and let your work speak for itself. You will walk into many rooms where you will be the only female, don’t feel intimidated. Be bold, believe in yourself, and embrace the beauty in breaking the stereotype. -Louise Fuller

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Entelect Challenge University Cup 2020

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Entelect Challenge University Cup 2020 We Didn’t Win the Cup but Our Cup Remains Half Full Belgium Campus iTversity participated in its second Entelect Challenge University Cup earlier this month. Future tech leaders from universities across the country showcased their programming skills at the one day hackathon, which marked Entelects’ 3rd annual event. The event was open to undergraduate students and full time honours students, and we were proud to have 20 students from a range of courses and years, representing Belgium Campus and giving the challenge their all. In teams of 2 or 3, the online event challenged participants to optimise the placement of batteries in a power grid for an alternative fuel company. Successfully doing this would reduce the negative effect that gaps between batteries has on the transmission and distribution of power. Presented with 5 power grids and 25 battery shapes, participants were required to create an algorithm that would place the batteries in an optimal location, while taking into account the space already used for other components within the grids. The hackathon provided our students with a unique opportunity to strengthen their programming capabilities in a fun and rewarding way, while also improving their teamwork and time management skills. Read what some of our students had to say about the experience: “The hackathon taught us to work as a team. We bonded through brainstorms and learnt a lot from each other. As first years, my team and I didn’t have much programming experience but we improvised and learnt as we went. Overall, the hackathon was an amazing experience and I will definitely do it again!” – Francois Greeff, 1st year BComp student. “Working as part of a team to try to solve a challenge under time constraints was a fun and exciting experience. Even though we didn’t win, I learnt a lot and would definitely do it again.” – Elne Van Wyk, 3rd year BComp student. “The hackathon expanded my programming knowledge. I learnt how to use basic Java and Python, two languages I had never worked with before. I also learnt a lot about programming as a team, and it was fun working together to try to solve the challenge. It is definitely an event I would like to participate in again.” – Zandrei Kleynhans, 1st year BComp student. We may not have won the cup but our students’ feedback and positive attitude reminds us that at Belgium Campus our cup remains half full. And don’t count us out just yet, we are sharpening our programming skills and will be back for the cup next year Read about the other hackathons Belgium Campus participated in this year:Hack the Waste (a hackathon which challenged students to develop innovative solutions to the global waste problem): https://www.belgiumcampus.ac.za/News/Hack-the-Waste-2020.html GirlCode (an all-female hackathon that challenged participants to solve the UN Sustainable Development Goals within the context of COVID-19): https://www.belgiumcampus.ac.za/News/Female-Students-Strife-App.html -Louise Fuller

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Female Students Develop App to Fight Gender-Based Violence

Inspiration /

Female Students Develop App to Fight Gender-Based Violence Four female Belgium Campus iTversity students developed an app to combat gender-based violence during this year’s 7th annual GirlCode hackathon. The hackathon, which took place online from 31 July to 2 August, challenged participants to use technology as an enabler to solve the UN Sustainable Development Goals within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Second-year BComp student, Nosimphiwe Mbenge, explains why her team chose to enter the hackathon and why they focussed on gender-based violence. “GirlCode hackathon spoke to us because of the company’s aim to empower women through technology, which is also something we want to achieve. Gender-based violence is a serious issue, especially in South Africa, so we chose to focus on developing an app that would help in the fight against it.”   The team was able to incorporate what they had learned during their modules at Belgium Campus to develop a web based app in C#. The hackathon also provided them with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and identify any gaps in their knowledge. “We walked into the hackathon feeling very confident in our programming knowledge but as the hackathon progressed, we realised that our knowledge was only the tip of the iceberg. Funnily enough, we have just started 2nd year programming and are now learning everything we tried to learn from scratch,” Ms Mbenge said with a laugh.   The hackathon also provided a space where aspiring female IT professionals could come together for a common cause. “The IT field can sometimes feel like a lonely place for women and events like this provide a much needed opportunity for solidarity,” Ms Mbenge shared. With 7 out of a total of 23 solutions specially targeted at gender-based violence, it is clear that the female youth are taking their futures into their own hands.   The team of second-year students have just begun MTN’s 6-week online coding programme, The MTN Business App Academy. They are hoping to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to further develop their solution into an Android app using Java. Their app will then be entered into MTN’s annual App of the Year Awards under the Best Youth App category. “Because we created our app in C# on Visual Studio, it is limited to laptop use. Our goal is to give women the convenience of safety in their pocket and an Android app is the best way to achieve this,” Ms Mbenge concluded. Hackathons push the boundaries of innovation by encouraging participants to use the latest devices and technology to develop new and exciting solutions to the world’s challenges. They provide an environment of knowledge sharing where participants can learn new technical skills and improve their soft skills. At Belgium Campus we strive to expose our students to various opportunities and competitions that help them grown in their field and as individuals. We are proud of our students for taking the initiative to participate in events that make a positive change in the world. Tap to select the previous period Next

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Belgium Campus COVID-19 Communication 22 – Release of examination

Covid-19 Communications /

Belgium Campus COVID-19 Communication 22 – Release of examination Dear Students and Parents, The examination results The COVID-19 pandemic is still amongst us and is still affecting our way of living, teaching, and learning. However, it is not necessary for everything to come to a standstill. In spite of the lockdown, quarantine, and all the other measures that we have to take into account, we must keep moving forward. BC iTversity successfully concluded the examination period and the results have been released. Given the difficulties of the current situation, we realise that some students were unable to write the exams, and we understand and appreciate the difficulties which these students have been facing. With this in mind, this letter will explain the provisions we have made to give those who could not participate the opportunity to do so after all. Foremost, we are very happy to say that the students who did write the exam achieved a splendid result; 92% of the participating students successfully passed their examinations. This is a very high success rate, and it demonstrates that our students are working really hard and effectively. Congratulations to each one of you, especially in view of the circumstances! This is truly remarkable, and we are all very proud of you! “We are in this together, nobody will be left behind” This was one of our slogans when the corona virus began, and we will continue to honour it. Indeed, a number of students could not participate and write their exams in these troubled times, and we wish to create extra opportunities for these students. We are addressing the issues of students who were not able to participate, and those who were not allowed to write the exam because they had not qualified for them. For students who were unable to participate: Courses will be offered again to give students a new opportunity to participate. The students who do not have internet access or need other facilities for their studies are to do the following: Contact your faculty to make sure that you are enrolled in the course. Contact reception for a permit so you will be allowed on the campus premises. Ensure that you go through the compulsory COVID-19 health and safety training.   The students who did not participate in examinations because they did not qualify: The courses and their related videos are available online. We invite the students to watch these videos to freshen up on their knowledge. You will be given new assignments, which is an opportunity for you to show and prove that you have mastered the content of the course, and that you do qualify for the exams. If you have questions or require help, contact your lecturers – they are standing by to help you. Please remember that there are other avenues through which you can receive assistance; student tutors and counsellors are available to assist. For students who wrote the exams but did not pass: You can sit the exams again. We advise that you watch the videos and review the online course material to freshen up on your knowledge. If you have questions or require help, contact your lecturers, they are standing by to help you. Please remember that there are other avenues through which you can receive assistance; student tutors and counsellors are available to assist. Odds and ends There was an unfortunate technical glitch with the AIMS system during day one of the examination. All the exams of that day were annulled because of that issue. The end result for the students who wrote an exam that day was based on the results of their daily work. Any student who does not agree with the mark they were given is allowed to enrol to resit that examination, but bear in mind that the last obtained mark will be the final one (not the best of the two). Students residing on campus: we requested the Department of Higher Education to increase our numbers from 33% to 50%. We are happy to announce that we have indeed obtained the permission to do so. Together with the faculty, we will now further investigate which of the students need it the most to return to campus residence. We unambiguously ask that residence students do not return to campus on their own initiative. Students who have not been invited to return to campus can apply for permission to do so by emailing [email protected]. It has been observed that many students appear to participate in classes on Mondays and Fridays. However, on the other weekdays, they are not taking part in the course work as actively. We urge everybody to participate in their classes every day. Stay in touch It is important that we stay in touch so both you and the BC iTversity remain informed. In the near future you will be sent a questionnaire regarding the organisation and the offering of the online classes. Please fill in the questionnaire to help us evaluate the online courses and the accompanying videos, the support, and your overall experience of the online classroom practice. As this is a learning experience and a development process, this will help us to optimise our services continuously, and to increase and ensure service excellence to all our stakeholders. We wish you all the best. Stay safe and healthy. Stay in touch.   Yours faithfully, Belgium Campus iTversity Management

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Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Update

International Projects /

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Update A new set of Belgium Campus iTversity students have made their contribution to environmental conservation efforts by furthering the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) project. Not familiar with this project? Let’s quickly get you up to speed. The AUV project is a 12-month long collaborative effort between students from Belgium Campus iTversity and Penn State University, with a new set of Belgium Campus students taking over at the 6 month mark. Divided into two groups, these students were tasked with developing an autonomous underwater vehicle that detects water pollution. The project aims to provide countries without the technology or funds to effectively identify and treat polluted water with an affordable and accessible solution. The project directly corresponds with the two specialisations offered as part of Belgium Campus’ Bachelor of Computing. One group was responsible for the autonomous navigation aspect of the vehicle using software engineering practice and the other group focused on the pollution detection aspect using data analytics. This not only allowed our students to implement what they have learned during their studies but to also push beyond this to acquire new knowledge and skills. “We learnt so much about hardware design, simulation and object detection which is not covered in our normal software engineering curriculum. I was also driven to learn two new programming languages over a weekend and now have the opportunity to place these skills on my CV.” – Janay Sandar, 3rd year software engineering student. The first set of students made great progress making it easy for this year’s students to pick up where they left off. The autonomous navigation team was able to refine the neural network, object detection code and autonomous navigation code developed by last year’s students and worked to integrate them into the system. They also used Python and C++ to develop the state machine which allows the AUV to automatically perform its various functions. These functions include diving into the water, detecting underwater objects using the built-in sensors and positional tracking and picking up underwater objects using its claw. The pollution detection team was able to modify the website template and database foundation developed by last year’s students. With the use of MongoDB, they ensured that all the data collected by the drone could be captured and stored in a database ready to be viewed by the end user. They also linked this database to their website using programming languages including Angular and JavaScript. “Once we receive access to the physical drone, our project will be near completion. Users will be able to view statistics on variables including pH, TDS, turbidity and temperature, in addition to the drone’s location.” – Tanielle Pettitt, 3rd year software engineering student. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the teams were unable to complete the AUV as scheduled. Despite this, they presented their progress to the project sponsors who included representatives from the Penn State Applied Research Laboratory, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The sponsors were impressed with what the students were able to achieve despite the difficult circumstances. Projects like this are a testament to the good that can be achieved when students with different cultural and technical backgrounds work cohesively towards a common goal. Belgium Campus iTversity students are set to continue working on the AUV until a new set of Penn State students can take over. Keep an eye on our social media to stay up-to-date with their progress.

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Alumni: Marius Vorster CTO at Inoxico Pty Ltd

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Alumni: Marius Vorster CTO at Inoxico Pty Ltd At Belgium Campus iTversity we view our graduates as a reflection of our institution and the values and work ethic we pride ourselves on. We enjoy finding out the different paths they embark on once leaving us and try to share their achievements whenever we can. Marius Vorster graduated from Belgium Campus in 2011 with a Bachelor of Computing. Since then he has worked at the following local and international IT companies: anaXis, frog, Britehouse, and Inoxico Pty Ltd where he is currently CTO. We checked in with him to find out how his passion for IT developed and to get some advice for our current students. 1. How did your passion for IT develop?“I’ve always liked computers so there was a natural gravitation towards that. My time at Belgium Campus helped me realise my passion for programming and completing my internship in Belgium really broadened my perspective. I realised that there’s so much potential creation power in developing software and solving problems. There’s a unique combination between the creative side and the logical side which play off each other, and that really accelerated my passion for what I do.” 2. What do you think makes Belgium Campus unique?“The sense of community at Belgium Campus really stood out to me. When you join Belgium Campus you join a close-knit community with a similar culture and way of thinking and learning. This community, combined with the exceptional training Belgium Campus provides and being thrown into the deep end, produces graduates who are able to make a real difference, not just in South Africa, but all over the world.” 3. What advice do you have for current Belgium Campus students pursuing careers in IT?“I usually advise graduates to see the first few years of work as the time to build a solid foundation and learn as much as possible, rather than a time to look for the best salary. A lot of companies are going to try to entice you with perks, and although these will sound exciting, perks will not give you the experience you need to stand out in a crowd and advance your career. You need to look for a company that provides an environment for knowledge sharing and room to expand your horizons. This is more difficult than it sounds because we live in a culture that puts value on how much money you earn and what car you drive. However, if you are able to humble yourself in the first few years and focus on what really matters, it will definitely pay off in the long run.”

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Calling All Corporates

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Virtual Career Days Calling All Corporates Belgium Campus iTversity invites all corporates in search of skilled IT interns to attend our Virtual Career Days. To register, please visit the following link Register Now Each year, Belgium Campus iTversity hosts a number of Career Day events where top companies with available IT internship positions are invited to showcase their organisations. These events allow companies to see the high standard at which our students perform and to engage with them as potential employers. They also provide our students with an opportunity to secure their crucial internship year at one of the attending organisations, in order to gain vital industry knowledge and complete their qualifications. This year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be hosting our Career Days online. Each attending organisation will be allocated different time slots to meaningfully engage with small groups of our students, between 9am and 5pm, on one of the following dates:   24 July 21 August 16 October All organisations will also be given access to our students’ CVs and work portfolios prior to the event, so that they can get a better idea of who our students are as well as their specific competencies. applicable, a second short testimony video featuring a Belgium Campus student or alumni currently working/completing their internship at their organisation. The videos can contain the following information: Introductory Video (5-10 minutes) A short intro/background on the company; An explanation of what the company does; The company mission/vision; Projects that the company is involved in; The type of students the company is looking to recruit e.g. bachelor’s degree or diploma; Any other important information or fun facts. Introductory Video (5-10 minutes) What it’s like to intern/work at the company; What the company culture is like; Opportunities for growth and development at the company; Any other important information or fun facts. Creating opportunities for talented young individuals to access quality higher education regardless of their socio-economic status is high on our agenda at Belgium Campus iTversity. It is for this reason that we request a R25,000 placement fee for every Belgium Campus student successfully placed at an organisation. These placement fees contribute towards our bursary fund and are used solely for the purpose of increasing the number of deserving students who can study with us. If you are an organisation who would like to take part, please indicate this by registering at the following link: CLICK HERE. As soon as we have an indication of the amount of organisations that will join us, a schedule will be drawn up and forwarded to each organisation. If you have any enquiries or need further clarification, you can contact us via email at [email protected], or by phone at 010 593 5368.

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