STADIO’s ambitious engineering vision gets a boost with experienced new Head of School

JSE-listed higher education provider STADIO has announced the appointment of Prof Herman Vermaak as its new Head of School for the STADIO School of Engineering & Architecture, where creativity and technical expertise converge to shape the future of the physical and virtual built environments.

“We’ve long voiced our ambition to offer engineering and architectural qualifications to help serve the growing need for professionals in these fields in South Africa and beyond,” says Chris Vorster, STADIO CEO. “While our School of Engineering & Architecture currently offers the Higher Certificate in Architectural Practice, we have plans to expand our offering significantly, with the launch of the Higher Certificate in Mechatronic Engineering and the Higher Certificate in Renewable Energy Engineering launching in 2026, and more qualifications to come in 2027. Prof Vermaak is the ideal person to help us realise our goals, having been the Dean of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology at the Central University of Technology, Free State for 18 years, and having worked as a project engineer before that.”

Prof Vermaak holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Twente in the Netherlands, a Master’s Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Nelson Mandela University (PE Technikon), and is a Professional Registered Engineer and Technologist with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). He also serves as a senior member of the International Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and has been a National Research Foundation-rated researcher since 2018. In 2018, he was awarded the DAAD Visiting Professor Scholarship at Ulm, University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

“STADIO wants to prepare engineering technologists who are capable of functioning within the contemporary technology environment and contribute to the socio-economic development in the country,” he says. “The School of Engineering & Architecture aims to facilitate career-focused expertise with students through the provision of knowledge and skills and the development of the appropriate attitudes in mechatronic engineering. This development will address the needs of the community to ensure upliftment through education and skills development and to maintain collaboration with stakeholders in the engineering environment.”

Engineers for a new era

Prof Vermaak says STADIO’s engineering programmes have been developed through considering the national and international trends in engineering education that include practical, project-based, problem-based and work-simulated components within an environment of leading technologies.

“In the engineering disciplines, the continuous and rapid development of complex technology necessitates higher levels of conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills,” he says. “Adaptability to new technologies relies heavily on the ability to apply fundamental conceptual knowledge to address modern engineering challenges. STADIO is committed to offering programmes that are relevant, flexible, aligned to the world of work and aimed at contributing to the mitigation of the national skills gaps in South Africa.”

He says that in addition to the Higher Certificates currently offered, STADIO will launch three Bachelor of Engineering Technology degrees (Electrical, Mechatronic and Computer Engineering) in 2027. “We are also already offering a Higher Certificate in Architectural Practice, and the Bachelor of Architecture will also follow from 2027.”

The programmes will all be endorsed and accredited by the relevant professional bodies. “This is particularly important for our graduates to ensure they can register professionals after graduating with a STADIO qualification in engineering or architecture,” says Prof Vermaak.

For more information, visit the STADIO website.