Belgium Campus ITversity Articles

As with any other field of study, certain admission requirements have to be met when pursuing a career in IT. These requirements vary according to specific courses and institutions. A career in this area of study can broaden one’s work opportunities as it influences all forms of human activities. There are many benefits to choosing a career in this field, such as the ability to combine one’s career with personal interests, it provides prospects of a good income, and it is one of the professions in high demand. If you would enjoy working in an environment where you’re encouraged to never stop learning, IT is for you. Combining this profession with your interests would provide adequate motivation to devote great effort to developing more relevant knowledge and skills, setting higher occupation-related goals, and taking action to achieve those goals. Godfrey Hounsfield, the man behind the invention of the computerised tomography (CT) scan machine, is one of the many exemplary people who aligned their interests with their careers – combining his passion with his ambition. Organisations are aware that staff members’ passion in their selected work fields can boost performance and productivity. Thus, they strive to cultivate it. That’s not all. Most companies are aware that technology changes at the speed of light, which is why many of them are prepared to heavily invest in securing top-talented and highly skilled IT personnel. Reasons for organisations to want to keep up with these changes vary from needing the latest cyber-security, improving customer service, staying ahead of competitors and many others. They are prepared to pay good salaries for proper and adequate skills and the continuous development of those skills. There is an opportunity for personal growth for individuals in this profession. It is at the discretion of the organisations how they implement professional development. While some may financially contribute towards the continued education of their personnel, some may have processes that encourage workers to further educate themselves. Education can also be in the form of pursuing in-demand skills through additional courses, field exposure and many other ways to expand knowledge and capabilities. Individuals who do this can be sure that they are setting themselves apart from the other candidates. The current digital transformation which is accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic has created broader opportunities for contemporary IT innovations and solutions. In this growing sector, there is a greater demand for adaptable people with relevant education and expertise in the various disciplines of this area of study. Future IT professionals are individuals who are always eager to learn something new. There is a need to source the best individuals, and organisations are standing in line to grab hold of them with high-end remuneration packages. It should not take much to convince potential students to pursue a career in this area of study. All they need to do is enrol to study IT at a reputable and accredited institution to start their journey.

It was Don Norman who defined ‘User Experience’ as encompassing all aspects of the end user’s interaction with the company, its services and its products. The field of user experience represents an expansion and extension of the field of usability, to include the holistic perspective of how a person feels about using a system. The focus is on pleasure and value as well as on performance. The best user experience practices promote the improvement of the interaction quality and perceptions of the product and any related services. To achieve this simply means creating a website/system that works as expected (or better) and meets the user’s needs at the right time and place. Highly specialised applications can easily fall into a trap of using highly technical jargon that only experts may understand and that can take away the pleasure and compromise the value of the experience for the user. An exceptional user experience speaks to the user with words they understand and can act on. Signing up team members for a UX (User Experience) design course is something worth investing in because it aims to provide positive experiences that keep users loyal to the organisation’s products or brand, and improves the possibilities of new customer acquisition. Another course consideration for the same team is to study a UI (User Interface) qualification which would serve as an advantage because it is a common language that everyone will be discussing at some point in the processes of design and development. Some of the organisations which have established UX design as a pivotal element of their business strategies have succeeded in transforming followers into ardent fans who ultimately promote their products and services. This adds value by assisting companies to achieve their objectives. Organisations are currently placing great emphasis on the UX factors that impact the business’s performance, and anything that does not is regarded as a waste of time and resources. These factors, which include accessibility, speed and usability, are analysed to identify areas that need actionable tweaks and enhancements. It is after the implementation of these modifications that the product’s user experience should show improvement when re-analysed. Poor performance of a website, at any course of the interaction, has the potential to undermine every aspect of the whole experience between the computer and the human. Getting the human-computer interaction right provides the product/brand with a much better chance of succeeding, which will, in turn, contribute to the bottom line of providing the ultimate experience for the users.

When it comes to making a career choice, it is not only about choosing what to do but it is also about who you are. An inquisitive mind, an interest in how things are created and how you can improve them can be an indication that you may follow your destiny through studying one of the many Information Technology courses available on the market. The question of how soon you can start to study in this field can easily or not so easily be answered depending on what you are looking at. While some children will show interest in I.T. from a very young age, out of curiosity or influence by the surrounding factors, others will develop their interest as they grow older. Their innovativeness may grow simultaneously with their interest, or one will follow the other. Fact is, there is no age to start! Still, there are requirements to be met if this is to be studied formally. The pre-requisite for admission at tertiary level is Mathematics in Grade 12 or alternatively possession of a technical equivalent qualification to register for a course and follow a career in this field. The entry percentage mark may differ from one institution to another, but the Department of Higher Education is the body that sets the basic entry percentage. Belgium Campus iTversity offers a Mathematics BridgingProgrammeto assist those who did not achieve the mark to gain entry into this course. This is another way of ensuring that potential students can enrol for Information Technology courses. There are various Information Technology courses to choose from and you need to have sufficient information to make a wise choice which will suit you. Educators are able to plant seeds of knowledge and incite interest in the field for many learners. It is one of the best non-intrusive ways from which career guidance can take shape, from an early age. However, the educators alone cannot ensure that the learners grow interest in this sphere of learning. Organisations need to come to the party and be part of the learners’ role models while they are still in school. This can be achieved through showcasing what they do and how students who study Information Technology courses would fit into their organisation, and maybe select students to groom for their organisational future interests. It would make it easier for learners to understand the broadness of I.T. and that there is a future for all in I.C.T. While this advice is aimed at other organisations, Belgium Campus iTversity has taken itself to task to lead this movement through working together with secondary school principals to collectively come up with ways to mould learners into potential future leaders. With an increasing need for qualified people in this digitalera and the availability of variousqualificationsin this field, the future looks brighter with every innovation.

The information and communication technologies sector has experienced a skills shortage for many years, calling for dynamic education and training initiatives. The spread of computing services in all sectors has proved to be a major employment driver. Belgium Campus iTversity has taken the lead and tailored relevant IT courses which are aimed at empowering students and alleviating this shortage. By focusing and coming up with intelligent ways of closing the digital gap between the students and the industry, we have a better chance of producing needed, highly skilled and work-ready individuals. At an organisational level, the effective use of ICT for information management is difficult without having appropriately skilled employees. The lack of expertise may have negative implications on the overall productivity of staff and on the profit turnover. Some organisations are taking initiative in an attempt to avoid this by investing in staff training programmes, which may include courses specifically in Organisation Information Management. It is a good initiative which benefits both the organisation and the personal development of individuals. However, if organisations had highly competent and well-trained interns or employees from the onset, it would enable businesses to effectively manage their information and as a result put them at the forefront of increased productivity and potential for a higher turnover. Belgium Campus iTversity, a private higher education institution, constantly engages with the industry to stay abreast of the most recent developments in technology. This collaboration assists in the process of producing industry-ready graduates with high-quality Information Technology qualifications. These graduates hit the ground running when they start at an organisation and do not need much additional training to become productive employees. This is partly made possible by the feedback received from the industry, which is used to decide what must be included or removed from the curriculum and the structure of the IT courses offered. Belgium Campus iTversity believes in adapting and evolving at the speed that IT changes. Adapting and evolving add sustainable value to the industry, which is one of the things at the top of our agenda. We believe that increasing the employability of people should be approached from a holistic point of view of balancing theory and practical work in academic qualifications. We encourage and promote the involvement of corporate companies in working together with higher learning institutions, schools and communities in developing various youth competencies. Through this consistent collaboration with the industry, and the highly employable graduates that Belgium Campus produces, the gap between the unemployment rate and the skills shortage can decrease over time.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are rapidly altering the ways in which we interact and work, linking communities and workers in increasingly sophisticated ways and opening new opportunities. Simply put, AI has become a new language, one that individuals must master to play above the technological ‘hoop’. Websites have become a platform of communication amongst a large number of communities around the globe. They are a significant tool for creating additional communication and advertising platforms for organisations. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up many opportunities in the IT industry, such as the emergence of the fifthgeneration technology (5G). It has also increased the demand for web development and the growth of social media platforms. It is notable that technology can never replace the human touch, but it can enhance human connections. This evolution has enabled people to connect with others and transact with businesses through the internet to remain safe during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The availability of smart tech and easy-to-use sites make it simple for people across the globe to stay connected. Businesses need more innovative ways to remain functional and make people aware of the services and/or products they are offering. Furthermore, businesses must understand the relevance and necessity to purchase or use those products which identify as the company’s specialisation – setting them apart from their competitors. The above are some of the reasons why studying a course in web development has become a viable career option. This type of work is not only limited to the creationof websites for large businesses, but also for the creation of website applications for small businesses. While the success of these sites is greatly dependent on what the developer must get right, the bottom line is that the user must experience satisfaction and ease of use. Some of the intricate aspects to master are device compatibility, browser consistency, effective navigation, reasonable load times and well-formatted content. Studying a course in Web Development can place you in the vanguard of inventors and, based on the success of your sites, you can be highly sought after as humans’ reliance on computing systems continues to grow.

Friday, 26 March marked the fourth annual 24-hour international virtual hackathon, Hack the Waste. Kicking off at midday, this year’s event saw 64 students from across the world come together to generate solutions for the benefit of the planet. We were proud to have seven IT degree students representing our iTversity at the event, 3 of whom formed part of the 2nd and 3rd place teams.    Other participating institutions included Avans University of Applied Sciences and Fontys University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands), Institut Paul Lambin and UCLL University of Applied Sciences (Belgium), BA School of Business and Finance (Latvia), University College of Northern Denmark (Denmark) and Universidade Estadual Paulista (Brazil). In addition to being from a range of different countries, this year’s participating students also came from a range of disciplines including information technology, management, finance, accounting, marketing and business innovation, etc.    Divided into 8 multicultural, multidisciplinary teams, these students were tasked with developing solutions to solve a waste problem pitched by leading European waste management company, Renewi. The challenge: develop innovative ways to motivate SMEs in densely populated areas to separate their waste. By combining the strengths of each discipline and adopting a multicultural mindset, the students were able to generate a range of holistic solutions which greatly impressed the Renewi representatives. Read on to learn about the top 3 solutions our IT degree students helped develop in just 24 hours!     Top 3 Solutions  1st Place: Hack4change The winners came up with an information platform to educate Renewi clients about recycling and motivate them to better sort their waste. The platform features shocking waste statistics and a virtual recycling calculator which allows clients to calculate their company’s recycling efforts. Companies who perform well receive a badge that they can place on their website (displaying that they are an eco-friendly company) and companies who perform less well receive tips and tricks from Renewi to better optimise their recycling efforts.    2nd Place: The Trash Busters  Belgium Campus IT degree students: Shammah Nhlabathi Aimed to simplify the waste sorting process for Renewi and reduce their recycling costs by encouraging their SME clients to clean their waste. SMEs and their employees are encouraged to do this with the use of a fun and educational challenge platform which tracks who cleans the most waste in order to award top achievers. Employees are awarded incentives while companies are awarded medals which they can use for self-promotion on their respective platforms. Employees who perform well also have the added advantage of a reduced service cost from Renewi.    3rd Place: The Green Hackers Belgium Campus IT degree students: David Maila and Zander Rosslee Developed a reward system that allows SMEs to accumulate points through proper waste sorting. Each client is given a unique, mobile-based QR code which is scanned by Renewi at the time of waste collection (once proper waste sorting has been confirmed). Clients gain points each time their QR code is scanned and are awarded certificates that indicate their business’s level of sustainability based on the total number of points they have accumulated.    Also impressed by this year’s solutions was Businet representative and president of the hackathon jury, David Taylor, who commented, “The standard this year was very, very good. It wasn’t an easy decision to decide the winning team.” We are extremely proud of our IT degree students and we are honoured to be part of a network of international institutions collaborating to create thoughtful leaders capable of driving real and sustainable change. Learn more about the hackathon and each team’s solution: https://hackthewaste.com  

Incessant constructions and reconstructions in information technology keep the world evolving. It is these continual restructurings that ensure that developers have a great foundation to work from when developing applications that are relevant and usable.   The market demand for the building of reliable and efficient systems is very high and continually growing due to the demands of modern-day life. These systems greatly benefit and improve today’s society and it is through the creativity of software engineering that these systems come to be.    A course in this specialised IT component is a great platform to ensure that information technology architecture evolves with the world’s trends, which prevents stagnation and ensures relevance. It is the establishment of the simplest to the most complex technologies that provides every nook and cranny with access to the digital world and improves the general quality of life.   Health and e-commerce are just two of the industries where the benefits of these systems can be seen and enjoyed. Reliable and efficient healthcare systems have been built to speedily and accurately collect and process health data to provide immeasurable possibilities for clear-cut diagnosis and disease control (prevention and cure). The current COVID-19 pandemic, in its course, further highlights the profound effect advanced health technology can have on the preservation of human life. It is with the power of software engineering that these systems can be built.   The ongoing risk of the pandemic and fear of the anticipated ‘third wave’ compel people to mask up, sanitise and exercise social distancing, making the e-lifestyle the inevitable way to go. It is predicted that e-commerce will double post-COVID-19 and with that comes a high demand for creative IT interventions to satisfy the intensified online competition.   Belgium Campus iTversity is aware of the significant role software engineering plays in today’s increasingly digital world. They offer an excellent course that provides learners with all the necessary skills to become competent professionals. They produce the kind of graduates the world needs to create IT structures that can cause a significant diversion from the challenges the world is currently experiencing.  

Belgium Campus iTversity hosted its first open day of the year on Saturday, 17 April 2021. It was a hybrid event, allowing prospects from across the globe to experience first-hand the exceptional IT courses this higher education institution in South Africa provides. These include a Bachelor of Computing, a Bachelor of Information Technology, a Diploma in Information Technology, a Higher Certificate in Systems Development and a Higher Certificate in Database Development. International prospects attended the event online, while local prospects had the choice to attend online or at any of the institution’s 3 campuses in Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, and Nelson Mandela Bay. The online event was hosted via the institution’s unique interactive online platform, HybeFlex, which allowed virtual attendees to get the same in-person feeling as those who attended face-to-face. Belgium Campus also makes use of this platform to host its online classes which are attended by students from all over the world. It was a jam-packed day featuring campus tours, real-world student project presentations (including a vertical farming robot and automation for BMW), and exciting workshops on mobile and web programming, game development and machine learning. Attendees were also given a taste of the institution’s vibrant student life, an introduction to their dedicated programme for Deaf students and one-on-one assistance with the application process.  If you missed the event, don’t panic! The open day platform, featuring recordings of all the event workshops and presentations, is still available for you to explore at the following link: Open Day. Alternatively, contact Belgium Campus directly at [email protected] or +2710 593 5368 for more information about studying top IT courses in South Africa. 

With the academic procession adding masks to their academic regalia, this year’s academic opening ceremony took place a little differently than usual. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a hybrid ceremony was held to ensure the safety of all attendees. Despite the majority of guests having to attend online, our IT college community did not disappoint! We were pleased to be able to come together as academia, industry, government, students, parents and alumni to share this celebratory occasion.  The official opening of the academic year is a tradition we take great pride in and one which we have practised since our inception in 1999. It provides an opportunity for us to look back on our achievements and share our vision for the future with all our stakeholders.  This year we were honoured to be joined in person by distinguished guest speakers H.E. Mr Vanderhasselt, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium and Mr Mabizela, Chief Director at the Department of Higher Education. We were also joined online by First Digital Managing Director, Mr Kendall, Belgium Campus Alumni Board Chair, Mr Masunika and Belgium Campus Chairman, Mr Rombouts, who joined the celebration from his home in Belgium.  This year’s ceremony not only allowed us to reflect on what we have achieved over the past 22 years, but also to reflect on the many new challenges the last year presented.  “The COVID shock taught us to build uncertainty and flexibility in our development. We saw the need to reorganise the physical aspects of our campus and our campus life, and we rerouted programmes enabling distance online teaching and learning using new infrastructure and software. We had to change our educational architecture physically and mentally to incorporate a COVID-related reality into our education projects, our values and commit and allocate, and reallocate, our resources.” – Belgium Campus IT College CEO, Enrico Jacobs. Adapting to the new normal and building resilience were common themes during the night’s speeches and all guest speakers commended our IT college community for remaining resilient and adapting for the benefit of all students and society at large.  “The Belgium Campus – students, parents and staff alike – has been able to reinvent itself. You can be proud of your campus for everything which has been done to contain the pandemic and ensure at the same time that you receive quality education.” – H.E. Mr Vanderhasselt expressed while congratulating new students for choosing our IT college.  He went on to cite academic excellence, global competence, collaboration, inclusivity and social responsibility as other key Belgium Campus values that students should be proud of.   “Thanks to this quality education you will be able to secure a place in the job market quite easily. At the end of your studies, you will be part of the 8% of all IT graduates in South Africa, in that year, helping to shape your county’s future.” Our commitment to academic excellence and the provision of a holistic college education was also acknowledged by Mr Mabizela. He praised our unique approach to education, stating that it ought to be a foundation of social justice in the South African education system at large. “Such an approach works to facilitate the transformation of the higher education system to enable it to contribute to the common good of society through the production, acquisition and application of knowledge, the building of human capacity and the provision of lifelong learning opportunities.” CEO, Enrico Jacobs, acknowledged that the challenges are far from over but assured all attendees that the IT college is proactively preparing for the next new normal, whatever this may look like. “We are doing everything we can to keep loyal to our mission in a new context – delivering skill-apt graduates for the next normal who will promote inclusiveness and diversity, continue to develop intellectually, have an open mindset for growth, challenge the traditional norms, and possess attitudes of thinking creatively, critically and strategically whilst having empathy and care for others.” The event also provided a platform for the introduction of the recently established alumni association. Founded to strengthen the brand of our IT college and increase the opportunities available to our graduates, the association outlined a number of exciting plans for the year ahead. These plans include the establishment of a mentorship programme to further assist upcoming graduates with the studies-to-work transition, regular skillshare events to enrich our collective IT knowledge base, and the raising of funds, via the Belgium Campus Bursary Fund, to assist previously disadvantaged students and widen access to college education. With each speech followed by an uplifting performance by the incredibly talented Mzansi Youth Choir, this year’s academic opening ceremony left guests, and speakers alike, feeling hopeful and excited for the year ahead. The academic year was officially declared open by H.E. Mr Vanderhasselt, who encouraged attendees to “go invent tomorrow instead of worrying about what happened yesterday” – Steve Jobs.  We wish our students, parents, staff and stakeholders the very best for 2021. Let’s tackle this new normal in the manner in which we operate – with excellence!