This year marks the fifth anniversary of this flagship entrepreneurial short programme and on 20 September 2017 this milestone will be celebrated with a gala event taking place at the impressive Emerald Resort and Casino Hotel in Vanderbijlpark.
During the event the participants from two renditions of the EWP will graduate, namely: EWP Vanderbijlpark (2017) and EWP Sasolburg (2016). The latter represents the programme’s first expansion beyond Vanderbijlpark and set the ball in motion to also branch out to the Pretoria area.
The EWP short learning programme represents a dynamic collaboration between the NWU’s bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) on the campus in Vanderbijlpark and Aequis Consulting South Africa.
During the gala event the participants representing the Vanderbijlpark and the Sasolburg areas will be afforded the opportunity to showcase their business models and network with high-level representatives from business and industry as well as senior members of the university management.
The highlight of the evening will be the announcement of the winners of two categories: Top Female Entrepreneur and Greatest Personal Growth. These two lucky women will be awarded several prizes from the NWU bhive EDC and two collaborative partners: Bunnypants Graphic & Web Design Studio CC as well as That Little Décor Shop. Apart from acting as the main sponsors of the event, these two collaborative partners represent successful entrepreneurial ventures in their own right.
According to Willem Nelson (Bunnypants) and Ninya van Zyl (That Little Décor Shop) their participation in the EWP is a way of giving back and reaching out a helping hand to start-up entrepreneurs who find themselves at the start of their entrepreneurial journey.
More about the EWP
The aim of this short learning programme is to assist start-up female entrepreneurs to achieve their goals and realise their business dreams. In short: to empower female entrepreneurs to overcome challenges and to develop their business ideas into relevant, sustainable and income generating enterprises.
The eight month programme is 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 a programme to explore ideas, develop business models and subsequently initiative their businesses with confidence and entrepreneurial know-how. Since its inception in 2013 the programme has grown with leaps and bounds and has in recent months also been extended to Sasolburg and Pretoria. The programme represents an NQF Level 5 certification and interested women only need grade 12 and basic computer skills to apply.
The programme coordinator is Leonie Greyling, an entrepreneurship development professional, and together with a team of experienced presenters representing both academia and the business sector, the programme offers women the opportunity to give flight to their dreams. For more information visit the EWP website. [http://commerce.nwu.ac.za/bhive-edc/enterprsing-woman-programme11]
