JOHANNESBURG – South Africa's Innovator Trust has honoured students who excelled in its enterprise development programme and the management development programme run by the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science to foster entrepreneurship.
The Trust, which aims to grow small black-owned businesses in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and help develop competent small, medium and micro-sized enterprises through training, sharing skills and infrastructure support, recently held graduation ceremonies in Johannesburg and Cape Town in recognition of graduates who achieved success in their businesses as part of the progammes.
South Africa's government has singled out nurturing small businesses as key to grappling with chronic unemployment which has left more than 27 percent of the labour force without jobs.
The Innovator Trust's enterprise programme goes beyond the skills of starting a business, focusing on the knowledge and tactics needed to go from a small to medium-sized business.
The Trust partners with companies that have experience and knowledge in this field, with the goal of growing SMME entrepreneurship.
“Once the entrepreneurs who participate in our ED programmes become more established, they focus on growth," Innovator Trust CEO Tashline Jooste said.
"This is specifically for entrepreneurs who’ve created start-ups with high-growth potential and to provide them with the skills to scale responsibly."
The programmes offer beneficiaries training, mentorship, exposure and development, equipping their business with the tools to enable achievement of goals.
“ICT entrepreneurs are critical to South Africa’s economic growth, which is why we need to focus on equipping these businesses with the skills they need to grow, create jobs and stimulate our economy,” Jooste said.