Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
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

Kovsies well represented in Cheetah rugby team
2006-10-10

Champions support champions.  Sport stars from the University of the Free State (UFS) today pledged their support to the Cheetah team with their participation this weekend in the Currie Cup final.  From the left are:  Boy Soke (SA Cross Country Champion), Nicolaas le Roux (captain of the Shimla rugby team), prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and  Vice-Chancellor), Ben Rheeder (Shimla hooker) and Charlene Hertzog (Captain of the Protea team and the UFS first netball team).

Kovsies well represented in Cheetah rugby team

Altogether 10 current and former Kovsies will most likely be included in the Cheetah team of 22 players that will compete for a place in the team that will play against the Blue Bulls on Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein in the final game of the Currie Cup.

“The University of the Free State (UFS) is proud of its rugby players and sees this milestone as another example of our commitment to maintaining quality sports performances,” said Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.

Prof Fourie said the UFS will stand solidly behind the Cheetahs this weekend so that the Currie Cup can stay in the Free State.

“It is not every day that we can boast with such a high representation in a provincial team.  Each of these players has proven himself to be a true sportsman and some of them are also Springbok rugby players.  This makes the honour even greater for the UFS,” said Prof Fourie.

The current and former Kovsies are Ollie le Roux (captain and loose head prop), Wian du Preez (loose head prop), Richardt Strauss (hooker), Jannie du Plessis (tight  head prop), Noël Oelschig (scrumhalf), Michael Claassens (scrumhalf), Meyer Bosman (flyhalf), JW Jonker (center, back line), Philip Burger (flyhalf/back) and Jaco du Toit (hooker). 
“Last year we honored two former Kovsies for their contribution to the success of the Cheetah team.  Mr Naka Drotské, team manager of the Cheetahs, was appointed as  Kovsie of the Year and Mr Harold Verster, President of the Free State Rugby Union, received the Cum Laude Award,” said Prof Fourie.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
12 October 2006

 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept