Category: Uncategorized

By PROFESSOR AHMED SHAIKH

MD REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL 

GLOBALLY the perennial battle to alleviate poverty is an enduring one and in this respect South Africa is no exception. According to Statistics SA almost half of the adult popula¬tion in our country is living below the upper-bound poverty line. While the battle against poverty has been a difficult one, the recent Covid-19 pan¬demic has exacerbated the situation, especially in terms of poverty rates, the economy, health, education and employment prospects.

In addition to the pandemic, the country is also in its worst economic recession in 100 years. South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 32.6 per¬cent in the first quarter of 2021 from 32.5 percent in the previous period (Trading Economics -2021). Stats SA also confirms the official unemploy¬ment rate among youth (15-34 years) was 46.3% in Quarter 1 2021. Millions are at risk of losing their livelihoods.
The combined effects of the pan¬demic and economic recession may not only present a temporary shock, but have lasting implications for pov¬erty rates in South Africa through its effects on people’s health, edu¬cation, and employment prospects. Actions being taken to combat South African poverty and Covid-19 have proven that, with new options and renewed commitments, there is still much that can be done to alleviate poverty.

Indeed, poverty reduction has become a critical issue for almost all sectors of society. Guided by this new reality, entrepreneurship and innova¬tion, especially through small business development has been touted as a sig¬nificant part of the solution to poverty reduction. It is now an established fact that entrepreneurship and innovation generate the majority of decent and sustainable jobs and contribute sig¬nificantly to economic growth, thus enabling a large portion of the popu¬lation to move out of poverty.

Sadly though, until recently, busi¬ness education has adopted a theoret¬ical and laissez-faire approach to this proposition and has been lackadaisical in its attitude toward making entrepre¬neurship and innovation a catalyst for action. In essence business education has paid lip service to the creation of an empowering and inclusive entre¬preneurial and innovation ecosystem that can genuinely contribute to job creation, economic growth and pov¬erty alleviation.

To be truly authentic and relevant in a world that is riddled with myr¬iad problems and challenges such as poverty and inequality, the purveyors of business education have to forge inclusive strategic partnerships with all stakeholders, especially local com¬munities that host them.

For example, Regent Business School (RBS) besides forging close ties with all its stakeholder commu-nities through its business education, research and outreach programmes has held steadfast to its mission and made considerable investments to create an entrepreneurial and innovation eco¬system to support the many facets of small business development for pov¬erty and unemployment alleviation.
As part of this initiative, RBS has established Regent Enterprise Devel¬opment Hub (redHUB), an accelerator which has leveraged the institution’s iLeadLABs or national technology hubs and harnessed its academic, research and outreach intellectual property to champion entrepreneurial devel¬opment. The redHUB’s mission is to provide impactful education, training and mentorship for aspirant and cre¬ative entrepreneurs by nurturing their disruptive and innovative skills using resilient and anti-fragile strategies.

Professor Shaikh is an academic and researcher and managing director of Regent Business School. He writes in his personal capacity.

Learning a trade can open many doors for young people and deserves to be higher on the “what do I do after I leave” lists of both parents and learners.

This is the view of Zizile Lushaba, Human Capital & Skills Development Executive at SEIFSA who believes that innovative, self-driven, self-starters, who are technical and enjoy solving problems and working with their hands make good candidates for artisan training, which can include becoming a welder, fitter and turner, boilermaker or pipe fitter.

At a time when the unemployment rate is close to 40% (39.2% in the first quarter of 2023), with the jobless rate among young South Africans as high as 61%, the focus on post-school education and training must be on being employable. Choosing a trade increases young people’s chances of being employed as there is huge demand for more artisans in all sectors of the economy and this is not only true of South Africa.

Degree-based careers may pay better, but you have to be employed before getting paid. South Africa has many unemployed graduates which just goes to show that a degree does not always guarantee a job. Of interest, there are far fewer trained artisans languishing among the unemployed.

The emphasis on practical training makes newly qualified trades people infinitely more employable than university graduates.

“Trades require the following three elements — theory, simulation (practical training) and experiential learning (on-the-job training). Experiential learning allows the learner to be exposed to the workplace sooner than university graduates, which provides the opportunity to learn from professionals who guide and mentor them,” says Lushaba.

The trades also offer learners who may battle to achieve the marks needed to study at university an alternative and sometimes far better option than simply slotting into whatever degree I will be accepted into. 

“University is theory intensive while a trade provides an opportunity for individuals who might not excel as much on theory but would be far better with hands-on, practical exposure and learning. Being employed as an apprentice and/or qualifying as an artisan also provide earlier earnings prospects, which is a big benefit for many South African families,” she says. 

There are many colleges around the country where young people can learn a trade. The SEIFSA Training Centre in Benoni, Gauteng, for example, offers a full range of artisan training — from welders to electricians. It has also kept up to date with the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Furthermore, the Centre also offers skills such as robotics and 3D printing to meet industry demands and these skills are taught using e-learning, virtual reality and e-assessments. The Centre can train 250 people per day and offers apprenticeships in 10 trades.

As part of its commitment to empowering young South Africans, SEIFSA took part in Cell C’s recent Youth Day Event. The See Youth focused on ways to empower the country’s youth, including helping them to develop the skills of entrepreneurship among other things.

Many artisans find that their practical skills and experience are perfectly suited to running their own small businesses, as Lushaba says, these skills are useful in “day-to-day life for those who are looking to explore the entrepreneurial route”.

Young people choosing to study a trade will also be helping the South African economy as there is a dire need for more artisans. President Cyril Ramaphosa was clear about this in his State of the Nation Address in February 2023. He said the number of students taking part in artisan training in TVET colleges would be increased from 17,000 to 30,000 in the 2023 academic year. “One of the key ingredients for economic growth and competitiveness is the ability to attract skills which the economy needs,” he said.

Many young people and their parents, worry about how they can increase their chances of finding employment, especially with the unemployment rate being so high. Artisans are always in demand — from the most to the least developed economies — and this is unlikely to change in the near future.

Info box:

How long does it typically take to learn a trade?

• Minimum three years, maximum four years
• Six months institutional training for single trades and nine months training for dual trades such as millwright (electrical and mechanical)
• A minimum of 18 months’ workplace exposure
• A minimum of six weeks trade test preparation 
• Two-day trade test for single trades; three days for dual trades

The SEIFSA Training Centre is run in partnership with Thuthukisa, a specialist advisory, consulting, projects management skills programmes delivery company.

The centre has the capacity to train 250 people per day and offers apprenticeships in 10 trades. The training centre is a Department of Higher Education and NAMB-registered Trade Test centre and has trade-tested more than 400 candidates per year, since 2014.

SEIFSA is a national federation representing 18 independent employer associations in the metal and engineering industries, with a combined membership of over 1 200 companies employing over 170 000 employees. The federation was formed in 1943 and its member companies range from giant steel-making corporations to micro-enterprises employing fewer than 50 people.                                      

SEIFSA is a national federation representing 18 independent employer associations in the metal and engineering industries, with a combined membership of over 1 200 companies employing over 170 000 employees. The federation was formed in 1943 and its member companies range from giant steel-making corporations to micro-enterprises employing fewer than 50 people.                                      

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This Wednesday marked a step forward in South Africa’s inevitable energy transition. Insightful research commissioned by IYF and funded by the British High Commission was handed over to the Department of Higher Education in a ceremony hosted by BMW South Africa in Johannesburg. The research assessed South Africa’s current and potential readiness for the Electric Vehicle (EV) transition and the findings of the study will influence future upskilling, upscaling and capacitating in the EV training sector.

Facilitated by Chilu Lemba, the event provided insight from various collaborative entities about the future of EVs in South Africa, and particularly the significance of TVETs in curating new curricula for the inevitable influx of electric vehicles into South Africa.

Speaking to the research, Head Curriculum portfolio for TVET colleges, DHET, Mr Vele posited that “If we are to have qualified EV engineers in the country in the next 5 years, or even the next ten years, we have a limited window of opportunity to ensure that EV courses and practical training is available.”

The IYF, which has been updating existing TVET curricula for the past year through their engineering offshoot, High Gear, mentioned how the research was imperative in understanding the skills gap amongst lecturers in TVETs. The IYF’s Country Director, Arusha Naicker, mentioned that while High Gear’s programmes had been successful in increasing student readiness for industry through practical and digital learning, lecturers were not fully capacitated to facilitate or lead curricula on EV technical procedures and maintenance. The “outdated” curricula is also attributed to the lack of EVs in South Africa currently – however the number of purchased electric vehicles is on the rise and this will inevitably lead to the need for efficiently trained and skilled technicians in the sector.

The research, which was conducted by Ngawethu Consulting, will essentially influence how IYF and DHET plan to move forward with pragmatically and functionally resourcing and capacitating TVET lecturers with the knowledge, curricula and requirements necessary to prepare automotive engineering students for the new world of EVs.

Speakers, which also included Khalil Patel, the Programme Director for High Gear, highlighted the importance of championing critical thinking in TVET courses, and how future EV courses need to have a foundational umbrella understanding of the EV market and Green Supply Chain – and not only be rooted in a practical understanding of EV mechanics.

Singh was incredibly positive about the outcomes of the research, as while they highlighted many hurdles and skills gaps which will need to be addressed in order to move forward in the energy transition, it provided DHET with a useful guideline as to where to place their focus in preparing South Africa for the transition, both timeously and thoughtfully.

Rebecca Tron, Head of Economic Growth, Southern Africa, for the British High Commission Pretoria, commended the IYF’s efforts and DHET’s positive response to the research, noting that South Africa’s commitment to a greener economy was not only beneficial globally, but would also contribute to the country’s intercontinental automotive trading potential, knowledge economy and expanded human capital.

Kyle Dreyer, Sales Manager, BMW, the event host, instilled some interactivity into the event by providing attendees with the opportunity to test drive their hybrid and electric vehicles, offering guests a glimpse into the future of the EV industry.

Ultimately, the research will inform the country’s next steps in a vital component of the global energy transition and influence the success of the Low Emission Development Strategy, which intends to reduce South Africa’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. 

END

The importance of healthy development in a child’s early years is seldom disputed – but often the extent of how dramatically it impacts children’s futures is not readily understood. According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, it goes so far as to state that healthy early development “provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation.”[1] In other words, every aspect of an adult’s life.

With this in mind, what then are the key areas that need to be taken into account when considering the healthy development of a child through their foundational schooling years, from Grade R to Grade 3?

In selecting a school for their child, the first steps parents should take is to assess whether their own values are aligned to the values of the school, and whether the school encourages parents to be partners in the team that is helping the child to learn and grow.

It’s also important for all caregivers – parents and educators – to understand that no two children are alike, and that each child is on their own learning journey right through their developmental stages.

Having said that, there are some generalities that can be related to each child’s development that we will explore further.

A child’s mindset relating to values, attitudes, relationships, and behaviours develops in the foundation phase. At this stage, they must be supported to meet the developmental requirements of each grade, including learning to read and write, count and reason. And possibly more importantly, they need to learn to share, take turns, work as a member of a team as well as independently, ask for help when needed, ask and answer questions, understand differences and not just tolerate them, and be prepared to be brave about trying something new without fear of failure.

The foundation phase is also a child’s first introduction to learning phonics and developing good number sense. Here, experience has shown that a multi-sensory approach to teaching these basics will ensure that all children are able to benefit from the learning; that one or other of the activity will resonate with their learning style. Throughout this approach, children are listening and speaking, feeling, building, categorising, comparing, and developing an understanding of what they’re learning. When this is carried through into the home as well through exploration and conversation, the school teaching is supported and enhanced.

As a foundation phase educator and parent of two boys, I have found that children are most engaged when they feel connected to what they are learning. In this way, giving them a voice, including them in the learning process, and making use of project-based learning ensures that they have fun and enjoy the process of learning to investigate, reflect, and collaborate – all of which are valuable life skills.

Taking this development into account, The Ridge School is a boys-only primary school from Grade R to Grade 7 which enables boys to engage actively in a boy-centred environment, while developing their academic skills alongside their ‘soft’ skills (people and communication skills, character, attitudes). At The Ridge School, we encourage parents to consider a boys-only school for their sons because boys and girls tend to mature at different rates. This means that the boys can be themselves with less concern about judgement, the teacher can manage the classroom environment that best serves boys’ needs, and the boys learn to be more confident. In this way, a sense of ‘brotherhood’ grows which creates a sense of belonging and connections that often last a lifetime.

Regardless of which school parents choose to send their child to, a key factor to remember  is that the early years of a child’s development are critical to their future success. There is much that can be done both in the school and home environments that can contribute positively to this journey.

For more information about The Ridge School, visit www.ridgeschool.co.za

ENDS

[1] https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/

In a job market that is challenging, business school be committed to providing an innovative and integrated approach to higher education that prepares graduates to succeed in the 21st-century workplace. With a student population composed primarily of mature working adults, Regent Business School (RBS) offers a range of initiatives and resources designed to ensure success and increase employability.

Stats and students that speak for themselves

In a recent employability report released by RBS, 80% of their students reported being satisfied with the institution, and 93% agreed that the education received at RBS met and exceeded their job requirements. Furthermore, 87% of their alumni were employed at the time of the survey, with many in top management roles such as Managing Directors, CEOs, and Directors of blue-chip companies. These statistics demonstrate the effectiveness of a 4IR approach to higher education in preparing graduates for positive outcomes.

Alumnus Reece Oakes, CEO at Rennie’s BCD Travel had this to say after completing a Master of Business Administration: “I commenced my MBA whilst in the role of Head of Front-End Services at African Bank. The MBA through Regent was key in opening career doors and is a force to be reckoned with. I was blessed to be offered the opportunity to commence the Regent DBA with the first group intake at the start of 2021.”

Margaret Hirsch, COO of Hirsch’s completed a Master of Business Administration later on in her career: “It’s quite intimidating when you haven’t studied for a long time, but I must say that Regent Business School made me feel comfortable and were on-hand to be able to help me with any questions I had. I appreciated the lessons which took place on weekends which meant they did not interfere with my work schedule.”

Education that is 4IR driven

Top business schools should place a strong emphasis on developing employability skills in its students. Skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and time management give graduates an edge in a competitive and complex job market. Employers are increasingly seeking candidates with these 21st-century skills, which are an integral part of Regent Business School’s online curriculum and academic integration programme. This programme allows for the creation of partnerships with employers and industry leaders, providing practical experience and professional networks for students.

Dr. Ahmed Shaikh, Managing Director of Regent Business School, emphasises the importance of disrupting, rethinking, and innovating to ensure that alumni have the edge when it comes to employability. “We are committed to preparing agile leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset,” says Dr. Shaikh. “Our innovative approach to higher education focuses on developing employability skills and creating partnerships with employers and industry leaders. This ensures that our graduates are well-equipped to succeed in the 21st-century job market.”

A forward-thinking and comprehensive approach to higher education ensures effects employability in a meaningful way which should encompass:

1. Flexible and accessible distance learning
2. Transversal skills training for mature working adults
3. 21st Century skills training for the modern workplace
4. Dedicated and personalised career support
5. CV review, academic counselling, career guidance, mentoring, and a job portal

Resources that stand out

Regent Connect is a valuable platform exclusively for RBS alumni that provides access to a wide range of resources and opportunities to help advance their careers. With approximately 11 000 alumni active on the platform, Regent Connect offers a wealth of information, including job postings, career advice, and tips on how to improve resumes and interview skills. This platform provides a distinct advantage when searching for employment and navigating the corporate world. By leveraging the knowledge and experiences of fellow alumni, Regent Connect creates a supportive community that fosters growth and professional development allowing alumni to stay connected and excel in their careers.

To further support student success, Regent Business School has collaborated with over 50 diverse employers and industries. These collaborations enable students to gain practical experience and build professional networks, enhancing their employability and career prospects. The emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship also prepares students to become agile 4IR leaders and entrepreneurs through reskilling and upskilling.

An on-going commitment to student success and employability is reflected in the opening of a dedicated career centre which can be utilised by RBS students and non-students alike. This initiative results from Regent Business School’s association with the Honoris United Universities and will provide access to career development resources and support, further enhancing their employability and career prospects.

This integrated approach to higher education, with a strong emphasis on developing employability skills and creating partnerships with employers and industry leaders, ensures that all graduates are well-equipped to succeed in the 21st-century job market. With a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, Regent Business School prepares agile 4IR leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset, giving them the edge when it comes to employability.Become future ready by joining one of accredited MBAs, postgraduate qualifications, degrees, diplomas, or higher certificates! All 2023 students will receive a free Management Development Programme valued at R7000. T’s & C’s Apply.