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Fostering entrepreneurship among young people

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

Maryka Holtzhausen, Wayde van Niekerk and Driaan Bruwer win Kovsie Sports Star Awards

2014-10-29

Maryka Holtzhausen and Wayde van Niekerk
Photo: Hannes Naude

Our university honoured our top athletic achievers at the annual Kovsie Sports Star Awards that took place on 23 October 2014.

Maryka Holtzhausen and Wayde van Niekerk were named Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year respectively.

Holtzhausen captained the Protea netball team that participated in a host of test series and championships. These included:
•   a test series against Trinidad & Tobago and England in October last year,
•   the Fast Five World Series in Auckland, New Zealand during November 2013, as well as
•   the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year.

Van Niekerk, in turn, set a new SA record in the 400 m of 44.38 at the Diamond League meeting in New York, USA during June 2014. As a member of the Protea team who participated in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this year, he won the silver medal in the 400 m sprint. In August 2014, Van Niekerk clinched the silver medal in the 400 m at the CAA Senior African Athletics Championship in Morocco. He also formed part of the CAA African Athletics team who competed in the intercontinental cup meeting during September 2014. The team won gold in the 4x400 m relay at this event.

The Junior Sportsperson for 2014 is Driaan Bruwer. He was a member of the SA U/19 cricket team that won the Junior World Cup this year.

Our university’s sports stars were honoured in the following five categories:

•   Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year. Everyone that represented South Africa at a senior level was eligible for the title. The winners each received a trophy and each sportsman and sportswomen in this category were honoured with a medal.
•   Junior Sportsperson of the Year. The winner received a trophy.
•   Sports stars that represented South Africa at senior and junior level. The achievers received certificates.
•   Sports stars that represented the UFS in the national student teams. These sports stars also received certificates.
•   Certificates were also awarded to the KovsieSport Club sports stars.

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