Anne Engelbrecht, USB advertising and PR manager, and Judi Sandrock, MEDO CEO and co-founder.
The University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) and Micro Enterprise Development Organisation (MEDO) have announced their collaboration for the improvement of programmes and content.
MEDO announced its partnership with USB at the final event of the British Telecom (BT) International Trading Programme event for 2013, on Thursday.
Judi Sandrock, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) at MEDO, said: “We believe we are ready to take the next step.”
Sandrock explained the essential goal of becoming a bridge for the building of relationships between small and big businesses.
“What we want to do is merge those universes, because sometimes they don’t connect and we want to encourage those relationships to develop.”
With similarly focused workshops and programmes, the two establishments will offer improved courses and content through the collaboration.
“We want to be able to link the programmes of USB executive development with the programmes that MEDO are running with small businesses and also with big businesses,” Sandrock said.
Having presented the USB supply course since 2011, MEDO will continue to work with the USB in leveraging supplier development and aligning with transformational strategies.
The CEO pointed to the benefits of forming bigger deals with larger corporates in the ICT industry through entrepreneurial group-based contracts, as recent programme participants are in the process of negotiating.
Open for applications until the end of July, the ITP bootcamp will be presented from 2014 as part of the USB supply development course with Kulula, a Comair operation and MEDO partner, sponsorsing fligths for participants.
Sandrock said: “While our business foundation skills courses will take place near the entrepreneurs – in townships and rural areas, our supplierdevelopment training and our bootcamp for our International Trade Programme will take place at USB-ED in Bellville as part of this partnership.”
Anne Engelbrecht, advertising and public relations manager at USB, said: “We know we need entrepreneurs, not only in South Africa, but also on the African continent.”
Among other achievements, such as receiving the 2013 Training School of the Year award, the USB has recently been listed in the Financial Times ranking as one of two business schools to make it onto the list.
Engelbrecht also announced the business school’s expansion plans, referring to its newest branch in Johannesburg to be followed by other institutional establishments across Africa.
“We are not only here for South Africa, but also Africa to support people from an entrepreneurial side and also other areas,” she said.
Frik Landman, chief executive officer of USB, said: “Entrepreneurship is greatly needed on the African continent and is currently a key focus area of the South African government.
“At USB-ED we are passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and therefore see this partnership with MEDO as a strategic step towards growing entrepreneurs not only for South Africa but also for the rest of the continent.”
