Abstract

There is a high a demand for effectively trained engineers who can apply their skills in the workplace to improve the country’s economy. In South Africa, Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges train engineering students to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice. The concern is that students need technology devices, machines and technology equipment, and lecturers who apply technology in their classes to equip them for their future career as engineers. A qualitative research approach was applied in this study where twenty-five engineering lecturers from TVET colleges were interviewed to establish how lecturers apply technology-assisted methods in their classes. The colleges were situated in Gauteng province in urban and township areas. The findings indicated that although all participants were qualified to teach the subject they were teaching, not all were technology literate, and few had attended training workshops on how to apply technology and use machinery in the work laboratories. Lecturers of only one TVET college applied technology tools effectively in class while the other three colleges indicated that they had not received sufficient training and lacked resources. It was also found that the college where technology was applied was professionally managed. It is recommended that managements should organize frequent technology training workshops to ensure that engineering lecturers stay abreast with the rapid changes of technology and proactively interact with nongovernment and government organizations in funding technology machines and tools needed for the practical training of engineers in TVET colleges.