Two student societies have been established in the Department over the years. These structures are associated with current students, graduates, and Alumni. These societies engage with students at all levels of study and hosts events where Alumni are invited to speak to the students on life after graduation.

The South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMechE) has an active student branch within VUT, and they associate not only with students but also with the wider Mechanical community. This student branch has a WhatsApp group for mechanical engineering students and gives information about vacancies, WIL placement opportunities, and other important issues. They also work with the Cooperative Education department host events to inform students about Work Integrated Learning and to answer any questions or problems that students might have. On 17 April 2024 SAIMechE hosted a special event for 3rd year students to collaborate on Work Integration and life after graduation.

Operations Management and Industrial Engineering Student Society (OMIESSO) is a community center for industrial engineering and operations management students. Our aim as a student society is to bridge the gap between students and industry through community engagement projects, workshops, plant visits, visits to tertiary schools, and other educational projects. We’re active on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook where we engage with students and share important information with them. Our motto “Driving Efficiency, Shaping Industries” resonates with students as we are being trained to optimize processes while eliminating wastes with industry. It reflects our values and skills as IEOM students in the real world. #WeDriveChangeAndShapeIndustries.

On 14 March 2024, SAIMechE and OMMIESO collaborated to host an event on campus where new and returning students participated in welcoming new first-year students. The event focused on introducing the two student societies and explaining what events are planned for the rest of 2024, including some special events for first-year students.  During this event students doing their final semester were given relevant information about Work Integrated Learning (WIL), how it works and what is required before a student can register for WIL.  This was a hugely successful event and the leaders of the two student societies are planning to host a similar event at the start of every semester.