Dear Student

1. Welcome to South West Gauteng College

I am delighted to welcome you on behalf of the College Council, Management and all the personnel of South West Gauteng College for Further Education and Training. 2011 is an important year in which South Africa and all her people should build on the gains of 2010, the year in which South Africa not only staged the most successful FIFA Soccer World Cup ever, but also did this in Nelson Mandela''s time! 2011 is therefore a year for consolidating and making the most of all our country''s achievements of achievements of the past year(s). We now know more than ever before that our capabilities as a country, as a nation and even as individuals, are limitless! There is nothing that we cannot achieve, if we set our eyes and minds on it! We know you are also joining this college in 2011 with a personal dream of your own. We want to help you to realize the dream that brought you to this college. Ours is to make yours come true! To prove to you and have you prove to others that it is indeed cool2b@swgc!

Your choice of this big college for the furthering of your education is one that you are not likely to regret. Regardless of the campus you have chosen, we guarantee you an education of a high quality and an environment which is conducive for your learning and development. You will soon be shown how to lodge a ''non-compliance'' (complaint) if you should find any of our delivery or service to you not to be to your satisfaction. Use this facility to keep us on our toes! If in doubt, or unhappy about anything, talk to us, submit a ''non-conformance'' form or complaint to your Campus Manager''s Office! Just don''t abandon your dream! Stay the course, no matter what!

Throughout your stay at this college, you will be treated with dignity and respect. This will happen, not as a favour, but rather as something that is owed to you both as a human being and as a student of this college! We ask (in fact, demand!) that you extend the same to all those that you will be coming into contact with whilst in the college, either as the personnel of the college, or as fellow students and indeed the members of the public who will be visiting the college!

A special feature of this year, which we are very excited about is the fact that 10 of the college''s best performers of 2010 will be going on an overseas trip to visit our partner college, Noorderpoort College in the Netherlands! These 10 students will be chosen solely on their best academic performance. Who knows, you could possibly be joining next year''s group of 10 best performing students on a similar trip! Another source of excitement is that many of our first NCV graduates of the previous year have been absorbed by industry and the situation is getting even better!

2. Your Learning Remains Your Own Responsibility

In this regard, we wish to highlight the following imperatives: regular and punctual attendance of lectures; submission of assignments and set tasks; cooperation with your lecturers; timeous acquisition of textbooks and other learning requirements (where applicable); self-discipline and hard work. Importantly, make sure you have applied for the DOHET bursary if you enrolled for NC (V) and are not repeating a level. The bursary is not guaranteed, but is dependent on your performance, need and availability! If you pass all your subjects, you improve your chances of getting a full bursary!

Your lecturers are your most valuable education resource. They are very eager to see you succeeding. Use them!

In short, we implore you to play an active role in your learning!

4. COMPULSORY ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR ALL NC (V) STUDENTS

Among the lessons learnt from our past experiences, is the fact that it is students who attend their lectures punctually and regularly, who pass their courses and that poor attendance of lectures invariably leads to failure. For this reason the college has decided to introduce a regulation which says students who excessively stay away from their lectures or from college with no valid reasons, will not be allowed to sit for the final, end-of-year exams! In fact, you must unconditionally attend at least 80% of your lectures / classes to be allowed to sit for the exam! In previous years some students disappeared from the college a few weeks or months after registering and only came back to write exams. Needless to say, these students failed, most of them, dismally! Do all your assignments and assessment projects, including ISAT, CAT, etc. You will not be allowed into the final examinations without marks from these assessments! In fact, even if you were to be allowed to write your exams, without marks for ISAT, CAT, you will not receive any results at the end of the year!

Over and above the above measures, the college has also introduced Academic Support Tuition Periods. Attendance of these periods is compulsory for all students. The Academic Support intervention will also be supported by a computerized Learner Support System, called LearnScapes / Plato which will be available at all campuses in the resource centres and, or other computer rooms. All of this is being done to ensure your success with your studies! Do play your part!

3. COMPUTER LITERACY FOR NATED (N-) ENGINEERING STUDENTS

In the last two years the college experimented with a Computer Literacy course for all full-time Engineering students enrolled for N-courses.

This will be continued with on an even larger scale in all Engineering campuses this year since computer literacy has become a critical necessity for people in all careers and, or professions. Engineering students doing N-courses must enquire at their campuses about this Computer Literacy course. A nominal fee of R 600,00 per trimester will be charged for this Computer Literacy Course, which will once or twice a week mostly in the afternoon for the entire trimester.

Do bear in mind that the college''s programmes do not necessarily end at 14h30 like those of schools! You are at college, now!

5. Maths and Science & entry into Higher Education.

Note that students wishing to proceed to Higher Education institutions after NC (V) Level 4 should strive to obtain passes of 60% in their Fundamental subjects and 70% in their Vocational subjects. In addition, such students are strongly encouraged to take Maths (Not Maths Literacy!) and for Engineering, they should also take Science. In Engineering, one is not likely to be admitted to Higher Education without Maths and Science.

5. SRC ELECTIONS

As soon as the registration closes, the process of having the college Students Representative Council (SRC) elected will resume. The date and process will be made known to all registered students in due course. The SRC is held in very high esteem at the college and we hereby make a plea to all students to view the SRC elections seriously and elect students who will help take the college forward and put learning first! Once the SRC has been elected, give them your total support! After all, it is your SRC!

6. Drugs and Weapons FREE ZONES

The college and all its campuses are "Drugs and Weapons Free" zones. An obligation is put on all those who become associated with the college to promote this principle and tradition in both word and deed. All of us have a responsibility to make college life a safe and pleasant experience for all - personnel and students! Any contravention of this principle will result in expulsion

7. Campus based Internet Cafes

Among the extra ways in which the college supports your learning is the network of ''free-to-use'' Internet cafes at the different campuses. You are encouraged to make use of the Internet café at your campus to surf the net to get more information about your subjects and to send and receive e-mails. Porn sites are strictly forbidden. Students found visiting forbidden sites will be permanently expelled from the college internet cafes. Apart from the internet cafes, take time to visit the SMME / Entrepreneurship centres which have been established at most of our campuses to release the entrepreneur in you. Report faulty computers and Internet problems at these centres to your Campus Manager!

8. Phasing-Out of OLD N-COURSES

Due to a demand by industry for short-term Engineering skills, the college will be enrolling N1-N3 students on a controlled basis, focusing mostly on those students who will be employed or supported by industry. However, the NCV remain the programmes of choice, since the programmes are the latest and aligned with current and future needs of the economy!

Welcome! May your stay and learning at South West Gauteng College be enjoyable and be further proof that it is indeed cool2b@swgc!

And remember, stay the course, no matter what!

Dan Nkosi
Principal