Eldridge Mapfumo: Bringing Industry Experience to Academic Leadership

Leadership plays a vital role in shaping the future of engineering education. As the Engineering College of Science and Technology (ECST) welcomes its new Academic Head, Eldridge Mapfumo shares his vision for academic excellence, industry collaboration and preparing graduates for an evolving engineering profession.

As he begins this new chapter, Eldridge reflects on the experiences that have shaped his career and the perspective he brings to leading ECST.

Where Industry Meets Education

The most effective engineering leaders often bring together two worlds: practical industry experience and a passion for education. That combination has shaped Eldridge Mapfumo’s career and now guides his leadership as ECST’s newly appointed Academic Head.

Throughout his professional journey, Eldridge has built experience across both engineering practice and higher education. His industry career spans the power generation, HVAC and mining consulting sectors, where he worked with and led multidisciplinary engineering teams across a variety of projects.

Alongside this, Eldridge developed a passion for teaching, lecturing at public TVET colleges before joining North-West University. His commitment to engineering education also led to his appointment by South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as a Chief Marker for the National TVET Engineering Examinations. In this role, Eldridge led some of the country’s largest teams of engineering marking professionals, contributing to the quality and integrity of engineering assessment.

Reflecting on the experiences that shaped his career, Eldridge believes the combination of industry and academia naturally prepared him for academic leadership.

“I am incredibly passionate about engineering education and how it plays a critical role in developing the next generation of engineering professionals. I believe this industry and academia background, coupled with a relentless passion for education, naturally led me into academic leadership.”

Eldridge Leading ECST’s Next Chapter

Every leadership role brings an opportunity to shape the future of an institution. With a strong foundation in both engineering and education, Eldridge now begins a new chapter as Academic Head of ECST.

As he takes on the role, he remains driven by the same passion that has shaped his career from the very beginning.

“What has always motivated me is seeing students grow in confidence and realise their potential. I discovered quite early in my career that I wasn’t simply interested in teaching engineering, but I wanted to help shape the way engineering is taught, to make it exciting and fun.”

Joining ECST also introduced Eldridge to an institution whose ambitions closely reflected his own aspirations for engineering education.

“It’s both a privilege and a responsibility that I don’t take lightly. I’m genuinely honoured to have been entrusted with this role.”

Looking ahead, Eldridge is focused on the opportunities that lie ahead for ECST and the role the institution can play in preparing future engineering professionals.

“Together, we have a chance to build programmes that genuinely prepare students for the engineering profession while creating an academic environment where innovation and continuous improvement become part of our everyday culture.”

Guided by a Strong Vision

Building on that sense of responsibility, Eldridge’s role extends beyond managing day-to-day academic operations to laying the foundations that will support ECST’s long-term ambitions.

His immediate priorities include strengthening academic quality, ensuring programmes remain aligned with the latest industry practices, supporting academic staff and enhancing initiatives that improve student success. He also believes that fostering a culture of continuous improvement and strengthening collaboration across the institution will be essential to achieving sustainable growth.

As Eldridge puts it:

“Great achievements are rarely accomplished by individuals alone. When academic staff, professional staff and students work together with a shared purpose, remarkable things become possible.”

While his immediate priorities focus on strengthening ECST from within, Eldridge’s long-term vision is guided by the institution’s strategic direction.

“My vision is guided by our ECST vision which states that by 2033, ECST will be internationally recognised for excellence in blended learning in engineering and technology.”

At the heart of that vision is attracting students from around the world through industry-aligned programmes, globally respected graduate outcomes and a strong reputation for preparing professionals for digital-age careers.

Building Stronger Industry Connections

For Eldridge, achieving that vision will rely on strong partnerships across academia, industry and the student community.

“Engineering has always been about solving problems and the best solutions are developed when people with different perspectives work together.”

He believes these partnerships create a continuous exchange of knowledge, allowing teaching to evolve alongside professional practice.

By maintaining strong relationships with industry, ECST can remain responsive to emerging developments and ensure its educational approach reflects the realities of an ever-changing engineering landscape.