In South Africa, there are certain hard facts we must reflect upon – high graduate unemployment (33.6%), youth unemployment (46.5%), and overall unemployment record (32.9%). Another hard fact is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for our graduates to find employment.
While job scarcity is problematic, we should be even more perturbed by the increasing unemployability of our graduates. Additional facts are as follows: entrepreneurship, as a career, has advanced in the last few years. Interestingly, entrepreneurship as a discipline does not enjoy equal recognition and or attraction amongst the youth.
Against the backdrop of the youth unemployment rate, including high levels of the overall unemployment rate, there is a favourable argument that unlocking entrepreneurial potential among higher education students in South Africa could lead to productive entrepreneurship.
Those who support this argument lean towards the necessity of entrepreneurship to reduce the threat of the trio - poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
Given that entrepreneurship rarely features in the curricula of most non-business programmes in higher education institutions in South Africa, a case should be made for a multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship education that addresses poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
This approach follows the notion that entrepreneurship curriculum should extend to business- and non-business-related programmes.
In addition to vehemently advocating for the need to reduce poverty and inequality, South Africa's National Development Plan (2030) also stresses the importance of expanding opportunities and employment through economic inclusion, education, and skills development - all of which support the constitution's values of inclusivity and respect for others.
An additional rationale stems from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, specifically from Goals #1, #4, and #8, which are designed to promote policies that stimulate entrepreneurship and, in turn, create jobs.
Within higher education, the call for entrepreneurship development is even more crucial because of the growing number of unemployed graduates, the poor performance of the economy of South Africa, and the critical need for creative thinking and innovation to foster the entrepreneurial capacity of students.
A desired outcome for the SBDG Chair in Entrepreneurship is the fostering of innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among students, faculty, and the larger UWC community.
The mission is to develop productive entrepreneurship through research that increases students' interest in entrepreneurship. Research should also concentrate on how to recruit students to the field of entrepreneurship education and how entrepreneurial ventures and results transfer to higher living standards for communities.
Prof Chux Gervase Iwu is the Chair. He and his graduate students are researching to answer numerous queries, such as: (1) What pedagogical position should entrepreneurship education take to realise lifetime learning possibilities through quality education? (2) How would the advancement of entrepreneurship education and uptake occur? (3) What components are required to promote the growth of entrepreneurship in higher education?
Co-edited by Profs Iwu and Shambare, the book Delivering Entrepreneurship Education in Africa: New Perspectives, will be published by Emerald in December 2023. The book examines several topics, such as a critique of the methods in which entrepreneurship is now taught, including innovative approaches to the subject and current, practical interpretations of what entrepreneurship means in the African setting.
The Chair signals UWC’s determination to deliver hope, backed by meaningful action and continued knowledge production.
Chux Gervase Iwu is Professor of Entrepreneurship Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Western Cape. Prof Iwu's areas of research include socio economic issues in emerging economies, organizational development, business management and human resources.
While job scarcity is problematic, we should be even more perturbed by the increasing unemployability of our graduates. Additional facts are as follows: entrepreneurship, as a career, has advanced in the last few years. Interestingly, entrepreneurship as a discipline does not enjoy equal recognition and or attraction amongst the youth.
Against the backdrop of the youth unemployment rate, including high levels of the overall unemployment rate, there is a favourable argument that unlocking entrepreneurial potential among higher education students in South Africa could lead to productive entrepreneurship.
Those who support this argument lean towards the necessity of entrepreneurship to reduce the threat of the trio - poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
Given that entrepreneurship rarely features in the curricula of most non-business programmes in higher education institutions in South Africa, a case should be made for a multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship education that addresses poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
This approach follows the notion that entrepreneurship curriculum should extend to business- and non-business-related programmes.
In addition to vehemently advocating for the need to reduce poverty and inequality, South Africa's National Development Plan (2030) also stresses the importance of expanding opportunities and employment through economic inclusion, education, and skills development - all of which support the constitution's values of inclusivity and respect for others.
An additional rationale stems from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, specifically from Goals #1, #4, and #8, which are designed to promote policies that stimulate entrepreneurship and, in turn, create jobs.
Within higher education, the call for entrepreneurship development is even more crucial because of the growing number of unemployed graduates, the poor performance of the economy of South Africa, and the critical need for creative thinking and innovation to foster the entrepreneurial capacity of students.
A desired outcome for the SBDG Chair in Entrepreneurship is the fostering of innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among students, faculty, and the larger UWC community.
The mission is to develop productive entrepreneurship through research that increases students' interest in entrepreneurship. Research should also concentrate on how to recruit students to the field of entrepreneurship education and how entrepreneurial ventures and results transfer to higher living standards for communities.
Prof Chux Gervase Iwu is the Chair. He and his graduate students are researching to answer numerous queries, such as: (1) What pedagogical position should entrepreneurship education take to realise lifetime learning possibilities through quality education? (2) How would the advancement of entrepreneurship education and uptake occur? (3) What components are required to promote the growth of entrepreneurship in higher education?
Co-edited by Profs Iwu and Shambare, the book Delivering Entrepreneurship Education in Africa: New Perspectives, will be published by Emerald in December 2023. The book examines several topics, such as a critique of the methods in which entrepreneurship is now taught, including innovative approaches to the subject and current, practical interpretations of what entrepreneurship means in the African setting.
The Chair signals UWC’s determination to deliver hope, backed by meaningful action and continued knowledge production.
Chux Gervase Iwu is Professor of Entrepreneurship Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Western Cape. Prof Iwu's areas of research include socio economic issues in emerging economies, organizational development, business management and human resources.
