The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe will launch the Centre for Entrepreneurship (CfE) at the King Hintsa FET College in Butterworth, Eastern Cape on Friday, 4 October 2013.
The CfE is expected to impart entrepreneurial knowledge, skills & attitudes to young adults and to enhance individuals’ capability to establish, manage and grow their own sustainable businesses. Students will be provided with knowledge and understanding of entrepreneurship and the establishment of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises. The Centre will expose students to technology and work environments that extend beyond the practical environment.
The CfE programme for King Hintsa FET College will focus on the agro processing sector. The main target will be the current students who are enrolled in agriculture and the peripheral target market will be the surrounding communities engaged in a variety of entrepreneurial activities. The primary target group for the programme are people below the age of thirty five (35) years, which is in line with the broader government strategy of decreasing youth unemployment and facilitating youth entrepreneurship.
The FET College has established partnerships with a variety of institutions such as Eskom, Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA). These linkages are deemed as critical to fostering entrepreneurship development and the sustainability of the programme within the FET College.
Deputy Minister Thabethe says the dti plays a central role in the development of small enterprises and has therefore prioritised the establishment of the CfE programme within FET colleges and universities in line with its strategic framework on the promotion of entrepreneurship and small enterprises. This includes fostering an entrepreneurship culture through entrepreneurship education, increasing enterprise creation and the network of support services.
“This programme is in line with the department’s commitment to ensure that small businesses progressively increase their contribution to the broader development objectives of the country,” she added.
The Centre is a product of a five-year Memorandum of Agreement between King Hintsa FET College, and forms part of the dti’s initiative to primarily target FET institutions to promote entrepreneurship education, training and development. King Hintsa FET College has been identified as second institution to pilot the establishment of the CfE.
The launch of the centre is part of the strategy aimed at integrating all aspects of entrepreneurship development in South Africa by involving relevant role players in all levels of government, agencies, private sector, educational institutions and civil society.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe, Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: 012 394 1650
Mobile: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Follow us on Twitter: @the_dti
