Midrand Graduate Institute rebrands to Pearson Institute of Higher Education

Pearson South Africa is a subsidiary of Pearson plc, the world’s largest education company, and has since 2003 wholly owned and operated MGI.

Says Mark Cunningtion, Executive Director: Direct Delivery, “The new name is a natural progression and will position the institution as an identifiable centre of higher learning that delivers world-class academic qualifications and student experiences.

"In addition to the rebranding we are excited to be launching an employability centre at our Midrand Campus, with plans in place to open further five centres in other provinces later in the year and in early 2017.”

According to Statistics South Africa, the unemployment rate in South Africa has increased to 26.7% as reported up to March 2016 and is above market expectations of 25.3%.

Says Candice Naicker, head of the Pearson Institute employability centre, “The statistics paint a bleak picture and employability is the X-factor for any successful graduate. We want to reach students pre university admission, during their studies and as alumni to give them the tools and skills to be real-world ready.”

While not necessarily a unique concept, with many universities offering career centres, the Pearson Institute employability centre is built on a similar model to UK, USA and Australian employability centres, which aims to do more than just help students find employment.

The centre will help students build their personal brand, give them access to online tools, expose them to a range of industry experts, networking and face-to-face coaching opportunities throughout their studies as well as connecting them with the more than 60, and growing number of partnerships that Pearson Institute has with corporate South Africa, including Microsoft, Apple and Capitec.

There will also be an entrepreneur hub in 2017 where students can submit business ideas, proposals and have the opportunity to pitch them to corporates with the backing of Pearson Institute’s resources.

Adds Cunnington, “The renamed Pearson Institute of Higher Education presents new opportunities for our students and builds on our credibility both locally and globally while the Employability Centre will help graduates who enter the Higher Education system to discover their career pursuit. Our mission is to develop the skills, behaviours and competencies that employees require from graduates and build a new generation of resilient young employees.”