A team of University of Cape Town students has been awarded the annual ViaData Shield, a floating trophy for 'Best Systems Development Project'. This project is a requirement for the third year Information Systems degree.
This year the award went to Nicole Butcher, Jeandre de Klerk, Kopo Masome, Amaanullah Parker and Kim Westcott.
According to Craig Byren, MD of ViaData, the project prepares the students for the work environment. “It gives them a chance to learn to work as a team when designing and implementing complex software. This is what they'll face when they enter the working environment, above and beyond their academic skills.”
He says they have always been impressed by how the students throw themselves into this project, with some of them putting in over 2 000 hours of effort. “The standard is exceptional, and they should be very proud of their achievement,” he adds.
“For students to do well in the project,” Byren says, “they have to learn real-world skills that will stand them in good stead for their professional lives - requirements definition, project management and team work, as well as intellectual skills in technical programming and documentation.”
“Some of these postgraduates have won further awards, and participated in international competitions or even started a business based on the project work they did at the university. We find this incredibly rewarding, because the growth and success of our local technology industry is based on this advanced study and hard work,” adds Byren.
This year's winning submission was an advanced business management system for local design firm, Mielie Handcrafted Products, which turns reclaimed materials into functional works of art.
According to Bryen, the team that wins the award is recognised by an engraving on the shield, together with a cash prize.
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