Kieswetter awarded honorary doctorate

In what Edward Kieswetter described as a full-circle moment the SARS Commissioner found himself back at his alma mater to be awarded an honorary doctorate.

It’s been 50 years since his academic career first began at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and Kieswetter noted it was rather ironic he was being recognised for his work after two attempts at studying towards a doctorate were put on hold because of it.

Now as the taxman prepares to use his solutions experience to carve out the next phase of his career he said that academic institutions also need to rethink about the education they are offering the future generation of workers.

Describing himself as a lifelong tinker, WHO wanted to become an engineer, Kieswetter credits CPUT for providing him with the grounding to become a reflective practitioner.

With the rate of change in environments outpacing the ability to adapt, Kieswetter said it’s critical that academic institutions produce not only critical thinkers but multi-disciplinary problem solvers.

'So what would I do? I would close all the faculties as they are currently designed. I would have no classrooms. I would have tinkering spaces, laboratories, maker spaces, incubators and get people to learn by doing.

The product of an apprentice school, Kieswetter said the disappointment he once felt at not being able to attend university to become an engineer or to study music has turned out to be his greatest advantage. Act: it was a tragedy when we closed down apprenticeship schools. I also felt it was not the best thing when universities of technology started to compete with academic universities. Because, that cooperative model, the world needs it now, more than ever before. "

A self-confessed Artificial Intelligence geek, Kieswetter has already started work on his solutions lab to help organisations meet the challenges of the future.