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02 March 2023 | Story Kekeletso Takang | Photo Supplied
EMS Entrepreneurship awards ceremony
The School of Accountancy hosted the award ceremony for attendance of the event in the Centenary Complex on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State, issuing certificates of completion to the entrepreneurs who were part of the programme in collaboration with the National Youth Development Agency.

Concerns are constantly raised in South Africa that graduates do not have the requisite practical skills when entering the world of work. Along with this, the country grapples with a high youth unemployment rate that is higher than the national average. The University of the Free State (UFS) attempts to bridge this gap. 

In partnership with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the UFS School of Accountancy (SOA) recently held a training programme for approximately 100 Free State youth in need of entrepreneurial upskilling. The training, aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills among the youth, took place on the Bloemfontein Campus over several sessions. 
This comes at a time when the UFS intends to maximise its societal impact with sustainable relationships through its Vision 130. 

On 22 February 2023, participants were awarded certificates of attendance at a prestigious event held on the Bloemfontein Campus.z

Addressing the participants at the event, Tumi Dithebe, Regional Manager of the Free State NYDA office, said he was impressed by the high level of commitment displayed by the participants during the training, and hoped that it would extend to how they manage their businesses. “Today, we are gathered here to acknowledge your achievement and to celebrate the partnership with the UFS.” 

Meaningful partnerships

“The School of Accountancy has had a working relationship with the SETA for Finance, Accounting, Management Consulting, and Other Financial Services (FASSET) since 2015. FASSET introduced the SOA to the NYDA, which was looking for a public institution to assist with the training of entrepreneurs,” said James Veitch, Senior Officer in the School of Accountancy. “We are in the process of negotiating a mentoring process to extend the influence of the training.” 

Entrepreneurship upskilling is a growing need in the business environment. While formal programmes offer hard skills development, training workshops such as this one provides an in-depth practical approach to support young people in mastering day-to-day challenges. 

Partnerships with various stakeholders are critical to providing young people with the skills they need to succeed in entrepreneurship. No one institution can do it alone. Initiatives should be sustainable and adaptive to the constantly evolving business environment. 

Vusi Peter, one of the participants with an information technology business, said the training has afforded him the opportunity to learn about financial management and business modelling. “Many times, we tend to neglect the management side of things when running a business. This training was a reminder to take care of the basics and to ensure that our businesses comply.”

News Archive

Reflection should stimulate action – Prof Petersen
2017-05-25

 Description: Panel discussion: Reflection should stimulate action  Tags: Panel discussion: Reflection should stimulate action

Panellists at a discussion held by the Institute for
Reconciliation and Social Justice were, from the left,
Prof Elelwani Ramugondo of the University of Cape Town,
Prof Melissa Steyn from Wits, Prof Francis Petersen,
Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, and SK Luwaca,
president of the Student Representative Council on the
Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Johan Roux

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The University of the Free State (UFS) should be a place of belonging, a place where staff, academics and students belong and can make a contribution to a democratic society.

This is according to Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS. He was one of four panellists at a discussion, titled Diversity, inclusivity and social justice and the renewed call for decolonisation, hosted by the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ). Prof Elelwani Ramugondo from the University of Cape Town, Prof Melissa Steyn from Wits, and SK Luwaca, president of the Student Representative Council on the Bloemfontein Campus, were the other panellists.

The IRSJ facilitated the discussion, which formed part of the inauguration proceedings for Prof Petersen as new Vice-Chancellor and Rector, in the Albert Wessels Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus on 18 May 2017.

Renewed thinking about decolonisation

Prof Steyn said: “We can develop our vocabulary to understand our real differences.” She noted that we are all part of reproducing, resisting and reframing the current order.

Universities should be a place where questions can be asked, Prof Ramugondo said. She elaborated on the term decolonisation, saying we needed to investigate how we related and reflected on it, mentioning the myths that surrounded the term. “We should renew our thinking [about decolonisation] at universities,” she said.

“We can develop our vocabulary
to understand our real differences.”

What does a transformed UFS look like?
According to Luwaca unity isn’t something that can be faked, but everybody should work towards it, building a rainbow nation together. It is important for everyone to be on the same page: “We have to ask ourselves what a transformed university looks like.”

Prof Petersen said it was important to often pause and reflect: “Reflection should stimulate action. Reflection is not something without action.”

After the discussion, a lively question-and-answer session with the panellists took place. Prof André Keet, director of the IRSJ and facilitator of the discussion, suggested the gathering should be the start of many similar engagements.

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