According to Stats SA (2018), the unemployment rate has increased to 27.2% and the most affected is the youth dividend. In response to this, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has initiated a new Entrepreneurship Development Program that seeks to drive collaborations and partnerships to develop, support and grow the mindset of entrepreneurship at institutions of higher learning.
Nelson Mandela University will host Student Entrepreneurship Symposium on Friday, 24 August. The symposium will run under the theme “Building student entrepreneurship towards a broader entrepreneurial ecosystem” as a strategic lever to transform the thinking of students to become job creators through entrepreneurship and not just job seekers.
The symposium is an initiative of the Student Entrepreneurship Working Group, which is a collaboration between the Mandela University Business School, Student Governance and Development and the Institutional Support division.
Student entrepreneur Sandile Mjamba, who serves on the Student Entrepreneurship Working Group, said the symposium serves as the official launchpad of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education Program's Student Entrepreneurship Week at Nelson Mandela University.
“The Symposium hopes to ignite the entrepreneurial ecosystem and mindset amongst students, academic staff and the broader community in in the hope of building a self-reliant and economically inclined citizenry,” he said.
“The symposium is aimed at encouraging our University to become more entrepreneurial in its ethos through the interdisciplinary ambits of its faculties and curriculum-based teaching, learning and research, co-curricular activities and entrepreneurial events and the future establishment of a Student Entrepreneurship Centre of excellence.”
The symposium will have a calibre of speakers ranging from both the academia and the business community. It will take place at the Madibaz Indoor Centre Chancellor’s Room from 08:00 -15:00.