Why business needs to partner with training institutions to develop entrepreneurial skills!

Nafeesa Dinie

It is also clear that businesses, from the smallest SMMEs to large corporates that are running shy of employing people on a permanent basis in such times, can still contribute by lending their experience, expertise and primarily their support to entrepreneurial skills training programmes.

Fortunately, there are institutions in this country that have expert training for entrepreneurs, but they do need the buy-in of businesses to ensure that the outcome of the programme leads to the evolution of real businesses that make a solid contribution to the fiscus. So why exactly is this – and what are the benefits for business entities of supporting budding young entrepreneurs?

Enter the experts

One institution making a massive contribution to the upliftment of entrepreneurs, through training them in all the appropriate skills and mindset, is the False Bay TVET College - Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (CfERI). The centre manager, an expert in this field, Nafeesa Dinie, provided much insight into the College objectives, the need for changing the mindsets of youth to become business owners, and for partnerships with businesses to be formed ultimately to assist with employment creation.

She speaks enthusiastically about the purpose and vision of the programme saying, “Entrepreneurship is key in driving economic recovery, job creation and socio-economic development in the country. At False Bay TVET College we promote action-entrepreneurship as a career of choice and the CfERI plays an integral role in the stimulation, promotion, creation and growth of the SMME footprint within the TVET space, through offering non-credit bearing, action-driven entrepreneurship programmes.’’

Business involvement and benefits

There are various ways that business can be involved and from each of these ways certain benefits are derived.

As a student

Some businesses will find great benefits in taking the programme themselves to develop their own entrepreneurial skills. At the CfERI for example they make it their business to be in your business and develop an understanding of the specifics of your operation. They can therefore help you to start and build your business by providing you with tailor-made solutions and support to guide you along your entrepreneurial journey.

As philanthropists

Alternatively, you may decide to be a part of the programme through the support of others, and this enables you to play your part as a role player that affects meaningful change and has an impact on the lives of those who need opportunities to learn and grow. As Dinie says ’’You have the chance to support a future generation of job creators and innovators. Without artisans and trade skills, the country cannot grow its economic value and create the jobs required, which negatively impacts all businesses. This is a problem that everyone needs to join forces to address.’’

As a business seeking entrepreneurial partners

You may be investing in the tutorage of perspective candidates because you seek to build a workforce of entrepreneurially minded employees or future business partners. The College aims to deliver employees and future employers (entrepreneurs) that possess the 21st-century skills required to transform our economy and possibly your business.

Who’s to say that an entrepreneur that you nurture may not be able to start a branch of your business in an area where you have no experience on the ground, therefore creating and expanding markets which was previously not in reach for existing larger enterprises, and bridging the market divide gap. i.e., many of our townships have themselves burgeoning local business communities, who has proven to survive during tough times. Surely these micro and small business owners understand their markets and are agile and flexible to adapt in times of rapid change and uncertainty where resilience is key.

Why partner with the College?

You may say, ‘’well if our intention is to train potential employees or partners why not simply train them ourselves?’’ For a couple of very good reasons…TVET students according to Dinie ‘’have a faster pathway to entrepreneurship because of the blended teaching methodology and approach (practical, theory, experiential and entrepreneurial), therefore providing you as a partner with a faster and higher socio-economic return on your investment. Also, at FBC we drive change’’ she continues ‘’and we measure success based on the impact our programmes have on the lives of the students and the broader communities – our work is embedded in human-centred development. At the CfERI we focus on the jockey, the business, and the community!’’ This is a strategic imperative embedded into the DNA of the College as mandated by the College Council. We don’t only ‘talk the talk’, but we ‘walk the walk’ and provide a diversity of support and interventions to assist the budding entrepreneur along their entrepreneurial development journey. This we achieve through collaboration and co-creation with our students, eco-system network partners and our communities.

The benefits to the community and country as a whole

At the end of the day, it is not just about expanding and creating a better business but also about giving something back to the community and endeavouring to build the country and its people as a whole. Dinie believes that the real objective and benefits of the programme are ‘’to create an enabling environment for young entrepreneurial inclusivity, participation and diversity through unlocking co-creation and innovative learning opportunities for artisan, vocational, occupational skills. This aims to pave and lead the way to economic recovery and socio-economic reconstruction and the development of marginalised communities.’’

A few of the benefits and impact of collaboration between business and the College would be to...

• Increase the number of student and youth-owned businesses.
  
• Increase job opportunities.
  
• Contribute to the transformation and diversification of township and rural economies.
  
• Provide youth with alternative career choices, such as entrepreneurship as a career option.
  
• Equip youth with the required 21st-century skills required for the future.
  
• Make a positive contribution to socio-economic development.
  
• Work towards decreasing the current prevalent social challenges that are directly due to high levels of unemployment.

‘’By providing youth the opportunity to start their own ventures, they are less likely to get involved in societal ills’’ concludes Dinie. Businesses too can benefit from the expansion of their networks, enlarging the commercial playing field to include many who currently sit on the sidelines, unsure of how the game is played.

FBC welcomes your participation

Since it opened its doors in 2015, False Bay TVET College Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator has been seen as a leader in driving entrepreneurship within the TVET sector. Further to this, looking at the broader picture, the College is an educational institution that offers practical vocational training programmes and technical skills development to equip students with the knowledge and skills required for specific trades or professions. We focus on providing hands-on training and practical skills in various fields such as engineering, construction, healthcare, business, hospitality, information technology, and more. Our primary objectives are to provide access and effective services to students through a variety of delivery modes and to develop partnerships and maintain good stakeholder relations to increase the number of students who are adequately prepared to enter the labour market, further and higher learning opportunities and pursue entrepreneurship development.

If we have convinced you that business needs to partner with training institutions to develop entrepreneurial skills, please contact us today to learn more about us so we can begin to build a better South Africa together. Together we can achieve greater impact and contribute to lasting and meaningful positive change. The False Bay College formula to a high return on socio-economic impact is: “Entrepreneurship Education EC2 = Empowerment, Collaboration and Community”

False Bay TVET College: Centre for Entrepreneurship/Rapid Incubator is located at the Westlake Campus.
Centre manager: Nafeesa Dinie | 021 201 1215 | az.gro.yabeslaf@einiD.aseefaN