Ms Natanya Meyer, who acted as a SEW project champion in 2017, will be actively involved in the organising and the facilitation of the 2018 programme on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark.
According to Natanya, the inaugural SEW saw 19 participating institutions designing their own one-week programmes suited to their students and context, mostly by optimising their existing resources and expertise, joining forces with the private sector and business community, and sourcing sponsorships.
In the case of the campus in Vanderbijlpark, students from all academic disciplines took part in an Entrepreneurial Boot Camp. The boot camp was hosted by the bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) and ran over five days. Aspects pertaining to idea generation, idea to concept development, the development of a business model, networking and the art of pitching were addressed.
“This year we aim ever higher with the project,” says Natanya and adds that the goal is for all 26 public universities to participate, along with leading TVET colleges. “Through the SEW initiative, institutions of higher learning take hands with government to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship to the South African economy. This, together with the immense problem of unemployment, especially among the youth, are just some of the goals we hope to achieve,” explains Natanya.
She adds that many university students are not aware that entrepreneurship offers a viable alternative to formal employment. “In a context where students struggle to make ends meet while studying, the message is that they should try their hand at some form of business, thus pursuing the best of the academic world alongside the business world,” says Natanya.
To this effect the theme of SEW 2018 is: The best of both worlds.
* Natanya Meyer is a successful entrepreneur herself and a lecturer in the School of Management Sciences in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
Natanya Meyer.
