40 2024 Interior Design master’s students complete studies with distinctions In 2024, two Interior Design Master’s students, Mulanga Madima and Abigail Roberts, graduated with distinction at the July graduation ceremony. Both students took on two challenging and relevant research topics that contributed to expanding postgraduate knowledge in the Interior Design discipline. Amanda Breytenbach supervised Mulanga’s study. Elana van der Wath co-supervised Abigail’s study with Amanda Breytenbach. Mulanga Madima’s study, In Search of a Contemporary African Identity: The Case of South African Interior Design, investigated contemporary African expression in present-day interior design in South Africa. The study was conducted from the viewpoint that within South Africa’s postapartheid post-colonial systems, a new way of thinking emerged with a desire to renew the African culture and showcase Africans and their culture in design and architecture. In South Africa, interior design spaces show that interior designers have explored various interpretations of an African aesthetic to include a sense of African identity and belonging in the design. The study examined what approaches interior designers take to implement their projects and how they manage to do so in the contemporary world of economic demands, globalisation, and fast-disappearing trends. This research aimed to establish the methods that interior design professionals use to present a space with African identity. Furthermore, it investigated the significance of this design approach in the global design community, the South African design community, and the African cultural diaspora. Mulanga introduced a multiple case study approach to explore real-life contemporary South African projects through discussion with interior design and architects. In the data analysis, a visual analysis of the projects was included to understand the design discussed in the interviews and assist in understanding the elements that potentially pertain to an African aesthetic in interior design. The research concluded with a discussion in which she reflected on the position of the interior design profession in expressing African identity in design projects, how this has progressed, and how it participates in global discourse. Abigail Roberts’ study was titled Addressing the Industry Skills Gap – An Extended Curriculum Improvement Plan for Interior Design Students. This study focused on identifying and addressing the skills gap between higher education (HE) and the labour market in the Architecture and Interior Design industry. The study was conducted against increasing global and national concerns regarding unemployment, particularly among the youth and the rising rates of graduate unemployment. The literature review investigated the contributing factors of international and national unemployment and graduate unemployment. The review included the quality of South Africa’s (SA) HE, the misalignment of acquired skills with labour demands, deficiencies in core skills, the absence of soft skills and the influence of SA’s educational system in preparing students for the labour market. Furthermore, the literature review explored the establishment and purpose of Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs) in SA and how they play a crucial role in addressing the educational gap for underprivileged students who may not initially meet traditional university admission criteria. These programmes achieve this through smaller class sizes, reduced workloads, and increased contact time with academic staff. The primary aim was to propose improvements for the Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs) designed for Interior Design and Architectural Technology (ATID) students, which could address essential skills required in industry and reduce the gap in transitioning to the workplace. Key findings of the study included shortcomings in language and communication competencies, software proficiency, time management, adaptability to workplace pressures, and the balance between higher education and the labour market. The ultimate objective for improving the industry gap in HE is to better align with industry demands and equip graduates with the expertise required to thrive in competitive fields such as architecture and design.
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