A new driving simulator at Ikhala Further Education and Training (FET) College in Queenstown is putting hundreds of students in the driving seat as part of the Coega Development Corporation’s (CDC) pioneering Outreach Driver Training programme.
The move comes as part of the CDC’s decision to expand the reach of the driver programme by targeting higher education institutions in the Eastern Cape.
The CDC located a driving simulator at Ikhala today and aims to add more of the driver training machines, once the project is operational and yielding positive results. The innovative simulators have a similar set of controls to a vehicle and provide a realistic experience of driving a car.
The technology gives learner drivers the ability to initially obtain first-time, basic driving skills without having to practice on the road.
A Memorandum of Understanding between the CDC and Ikhala was also signed today.
“We are making great strides in the Eastern Cape and a real difference in hundreds of young people’s lives,” said Zuko Mapoma, project sponsor and CDC corporate services executive manager. “Driving is a critical skill in self-development and actualisation, and a crucial competence for employability – so essentially we are facilitating the employability of our Eastern Cape youth, and thus helping reduce the unprecedented levels of unemployment in the province.”
The driving simulators boast real vehicle parts including a seat belt, steering wheel, indicator and windscreen wiper controls and a five-speed, manual gearbox.
The training is based on the K53 driver’s test standards and there are 12 modules learners can follow. These include practising gear changes, clutch control, incline starts, parallel parking, driving in city traffic and driving at night or in bad weather conditions like rain or snow.
Buyelwa Yukutwana Ikhala College Registrar for Planning and Research said the community was excited about the collaboration.
“It is exactly what we have been looking forward to in our relationship with the Coega Development Corporation. Learners from both of our district municipalities, Joe Gqabi and Chris Hani, as well as the community, already know about this and are overwhelmed by the potential in it,” she said.
“This opportunity will enable our learners to compete fully in the job market. We already have a long list of students who are waiting for the simulator to become operational – that’s the level of excitement on the campus.”
All applicants interested in using the simulators must have learner’s licences already. The Outreach Driving Programme has grown incrementally since its inception in 2008, increasing numbers year-on-year and extending beyond the borders of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality in 2010 to Mthatha and East London and now Alice.
These host sites are governed by a Memorandum of Understanding, allowing unemployed graduates and the youth of the area access to these learners license and driving simulators.
Alan Straton
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