By The Division of Communication and Advancement
Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 has recently embarked on several ambitious entrepreneurship projects with the aim of not only up-skilling students but uplifting the Makana community and economy. These have culminated in the preparation of a Centre for Entrepreneurship and Incubation, funded by SEDA, which will be housed within the Student Hub, Steve Biko Building.
Earlier this year saw the launch of the Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 – Local Economic Development (RU-LED) Innovation Lab launch to empower students and youths of Makhanda to harness their business potential and help uplift the region's economic status.
Senior Lecturer at the Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 Business School, Professor Tshidi Mohapeloa, with the support of Rhodes students, the DSSD Director Dr Pakiso Tondi, and the LED local councillor Mzobanzi Nkwentsha have been directly involved in the initiative that led to RU-LED Innovation Lab’s launch. The establishment of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Incubation will further enhance and supplement the important objectives of entrepreneurship employability and career development as part of the student experience, which is in line with the Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 Institutional Development Plan (IDP).
“I have been very involved in the entrepreneurial space at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 since my appointment, and there has been much progress,” explained Professor Mohapeloa. Among her roles, she served as the Deputy Chairperson of Communities of Practice for Entrepreneurship Learning and Teaching for the national Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) - for which she received an award earlier this year. She is currently the Chairperson of the same community of practice (CoP).
A significant part of the EDHE agenda is to develop students’ entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviours towards entrepreneurship as well as acknowledge students' economic activities. Furthermore, the EDHE’s Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP) equips student women beyond entrepreneurial activity to respond to issues within the context of gender-based violence and the under-representation of student women in entrepreneurship.
“The plan for the Centre is to match those being incubated with mentors such as the MBA students, who have at least three years of work experience for business acumen. The Centre will house the Postgraduate Diploma in Enterprise Management (PDEM) students and will incubate studentrepreneurs as well as local entrepreneurs. The goal is to combine the theoretical knowledge of the PDEM students with the practical experience of the local entrepreneurs and MBA students, allowing them to co-create and learn from each other. The mentors will be carefully matched with mentees based on their backgrounds and business interests to ensure effective knowledge-sharing and collaboration,” Professor Mohapeloa stated.
Community entrepreneurs will be selected from local communities, meaning, the city of Makhanda, Makana and Sarah Baartman municipalities as well as the Eastern Cape Province. They will have access to the facilities at the Centre.
In the spirit of collaboration, Professor Mohapeloa has been working with the School of Journalism and Media Studies to prepare launch materials, such as promotional videos and impact stories. Other departments, such as the Chemistry and Entomology departments, have an opportunity to collaborate with the Centre through the business school to introduce entrepreneurship as part of the cocreated business module.
“We want to ensure that people outside of the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 know about the centre and how it can help students and the local communities,” Professor Mohapeloa explained. “Once launched, the centre will create a triple win situation - for our students, our communities and the economy.”