Excitingly enough, more and more women are stepping up to own and run businesses in numbers that would have been hard to imagine a few decades ago. International research estimates that female entrepreneurs now account for a quarter to a third of all businesses in the formal economy worldwide. With this in mind the bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) on the North-West University’s (NWU) campus in Vanderbijlpark Campus have partnered with Aequis Consulting and Sasol in order to extend the very successful short learning programme: Enterprising Women, to include the Metsimaholo Local Municipality.
Women with a small business in the early stages of development (minimum six months to five years) and who reside in Zamdela, Sasolburg or Vaalpark, can now apply to take part in the programme.
More about the programme
The Enterprising Women Programme short learning programme is an eight-month programme geared to provide business support services to women who wish to establish their own businesses. During the course of the programme, participants will be taken through an intensive process to explore ideas, develop business models and subsequently launch or manage their businesses with confidence and entrepreneurial know-how.
According to Mr Johan Landsberg, manager of the bhive EDC, an enterprising woman can be described as a woman who dares to think big, take calculated risks, and follows her dreams.
“An enterprising woman works hard every day to bring her dreams to fruition,” explains Landsberg and adds that this drive to succeed is fuelled by the quest to support not only her immediate family but also the community at large. “Individually and together, enterprising women have the potential to create positive change – regionally, nationally and internationally – and by doing so contribute towards the strength and sustainability of the country’s economic well-being.”
Requirements
To be considered for participation in the programme, you will need to:
- Have a small business in the early stages of development (six months to five years)
- Reside in Zamdela, Sasolburg or Vaalpark
- Be willing to commit to the eight-month programme and, attend four workshops per month (to be hosted on the campus in Vanderbijlpark)
- Have a minimum of a Grade-12 qualification and a good understanding of English (both written and spoken)
- Be computer literate and have full access to email and WhatsApp
- Pay a R1 500 deposit if accepted into the programme (this deposit is refundable upon the successful completion of the programme)
Apply today
Please note that only online applications will be accepted. Applicants are required to access the bhive EDC’s Incubator Portal at http://applications.incubatorportal.com to complete the application form and to upload the necessary documents. For assistance, please contact 016 910 3393 or send an email to bhive@nwu.ac.za. The closing date for applications is 9 July 2017.
