KHULA Education is making great strides in their work, as stated by Debbie Heustice, Director at KHULA Education. She shares not only the success but also some of the activities they've carried out in support of the KidsMBA programme:
''KHULA Education launched the KidsMBA in early 2022 and we are very proud to learn that we are the world’s biggest provider of this award-winning programme, equipping more than 400 rural students with entrepreneurial and business skills to date!
The project is particularly relevant and vital in rural South Africa, where local unemployment is up to 80%, with analysts citing an education system that does little to prepare students for the workplace as part of the problem. The South African public education system remains heavily focused on academic learning, and in rural areas where resources are stretched, vital skillsets like presentation skills, relationship-building, critical thinking and communication are not developed, leaving rural students behind the competition. This approach is in direct contrast to the body of evidence stressing “the growing importance of soft skills in bolstering employability when jobs are scarce” for youth in South Africa.
Through the ABE KidsMBA, we are addressing this skills gap with a 16-week programme of learning which fosters entrepreneurship through making business principles accessible to young people and equipping them with the soft skills they will need to compete effectively in the world of work and tertiary study. Learners receive weekly coaching from KHULA teachers, with additional support from the University of KZN’s School of Accounting, Economics and Finance lecturers. Students are supported to team up to devise and develop their very own small business ideas, culminating in their final presentations to a Dragons’ Den style panel of judges, with a winning team from each school receiving R2,000 to launch their small business idea.''
Here are some lovely snapshots of KidsMBA activities that took place at KHULA Education:
Membership offer from The Institute of Leadership
Our parent company, The Institute of Leadership (IoL) is offering ABE graduates, from Level 5 upwards, the opportunity to become an Institute Member at a price exclusively for ABE qualification holders. Read more.