The Trident Engineering Institute, launched this week at the V&A Waterfront, in Cape Town, will enable students inside and outside South Africa to study various qualifications within building information modelling (BIM).

“The Institute wants to make BIM qualifications accessible and affordable to the masses, targeting high school graduates, technical and vocational education and training graduates and professionals who wish to carve a new career path in BIM,” says Trident Engineering Institute interim CEO Mashudu Madzhie.

Until now, only the high-end BIM workshops have been available locally and most of them are accessible only to those with many years of career in engineering or construction, he adds.

“The Institute's mission is to educate students on specific industry knowledge using innovative, technology-rich, interdisciplinary learning environments. The Institute will collaborate with industry partners to offer students real-world problem-solving, work experience, applied research, and business leadership opportunities to achieve this mission,” says Madzhie.

The institute is a distance education institution and students will also have the option to enrol for tutorial programmes on a full-time or part-time basis through partnering colleges.

The Institute has a student administration and learning management system that allows students to participate in class tutorials, book consultation sessions with BIM experts, submit projects, as well receive academic and non-academic support online.

The establishment of the Institute was made possible by the industry education charity trust Nido Trust, which focuses on introducing industry-specific programmes that are fully accredited by the local bodies and endorsed by professional bodies globally.

"With the entry requirement being a matric pass with English, the Institute will be providing rare prospects for those students interested in engineering and built environment who would otherwise not have afforded or qualified for university degrees within these fields," Madzhie says.

The first BIM programmes to be offered by the institute will focus on the application of BIM in construction management and facility management.

“The Institute's qualifications will train students on the largely developing field of BIM and related concepts and technical know-how of the ever-changing software used in the construction and facility management areas,” says Nido Trust founder Henry Lukenge.

“At the end of the qualifications, students will be able to use modelling techniques, three-dimensional modelling tools and computer-aided design. Students will be able to carry out accurate calculations on construction and facility management projects, specifically when it comes to detailed measurement of materials and labour needed before and after a construction project,” he explains.

Further, the institute will offer a diploma in BIM in construction management and a diploma in facility management. Additionally, the institute will also provide three higher certificates in BIM in construction management and three higher certificates in facility management.

"These programmes will be recognised locally with the South African Qualifications Authority and Council on Higher Education accreditations, and international professional bodies such as the British Standards Institution (BSI) are onboard, exploring partnership possibilities.

“The partnership will mean that our students will graduate with a locally accredited programme and access to the BSI professional membership via our partnership and programme endorsement with the BSI group, which sets local and global standards in BIM and related fields,” says Lukenge.

Meanwhile, Madzhie says the issue of affordability is paramount to what the institute wants to achieve. Owing to this, the Trident Engineering Institute board of directors and the trustees of Nido Trust have agreed to offer the Henry Lukenge Fellowship and Nido Trust Bursaries to deserving students. Scholarships from the Henry Lukenge Fellowship and Nido Trust Bursaries will be available from 2023.

Additionally, the institute has added access to a professional communication subject for students who may gain admission on special conditions, such as those who failed English but did well in other matric subjects. The institute, including its technology and teaching experts, has capacity for up to 10 000 students.