HOSPITALITY NEWS

#YouthMonth: Upskilling youth is key to opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry

17 JUN 2016 |  BY: KIM VILJOEN

Youth unemployment remains one of the most significant challenges facing South Africa, with young people three times more likely to be unemployed than their elder counterparts. The latest youth unemployment and health report from Statistics South Africa revealed that of the 19,7 million young people in the country, only 6,2 million were employed.

©langstrup via 123RF

While most sectors do not have enough jobs available to fill the demand of young job seekers, others struggle to find workers qualified for the jobs they do need to fill. Furthermore, in a low-income economy such as South Africa, many cannot afford the time to upskill through tertiary institutions due to the pressing need to provide for themselves and their families. 

The South African government has identified the tourism and hospitality sector as a major creator of jobs and has encouraged young citizens to consider a career in tourism. As of July 2015, the government has even put into place various training and skills development programmes to enable young people to enter the tourism industry. 

Educate24 is an online portal that offers courses on a wide variety of subjects across all the major industries, and included is ‘Introduction to Customer Service’. The course is designed to explain the importance and benefits of good customer service, how to determine what customer’s needs and expectations are and how to deal with unhappy customers. The course is written simply and clearly, to suit the needs of people at any skill level. It can be done in just six weeks, or less, depending on the pace of the student. It is also affordable so people from different economic backgrounds stand to benefit. 

For employees or job seekers in hospitality, having a proven soft skill such as customer service is invaluable. Not only will learning such skills help make job seekers more employable but showing the initiative to acquire a qualification despite a possible lack of opportunities in the formal tertiary education sector, can make the difference when a potential employer is flooded with CVs.

South Africa’s hospitality sector is poised for significant growth over the next few years due to the growing tourism numbers. Despite economic uncertainty, PricewaterhouseCoopers released statistics that said the total number of foreign visitors to South Africa is steadily rising each year. In addition to the growing number of opportunities, the hospitality industry is also well-resourced to offer meaningful work and career development opportunities to employees. There are many entry-level jobs available with plenty of room to grow professionally and personally. 

For young South Africans unsure of which industry to join, or how to move further up their career ladders, online courses such as Educate24’s Customer Service course, is a solid way to ensure they are a step ahead and are able to show a skill set that makes them the ideal candidate.

PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION NEWS

Parents integral to children's education

1 JUN 2016 |  

Research shows that parents have an important role to play in a child's education and the more involved they are, the more successful their children will be.

© langstrup – 123RF.com

Magadi and Matheatsie are participants in a programme, introduced by BrainBoosters and the Kagiso Shanduka Trust, aiming to increase parents’ involvement in their children’s education. 

Magadi tells of how her son, Matheatsie, a seven-year-old learner in Grade 2 at Moipone Primary in the Free State, completed a sum by himself for the first time. “It took me by surprise. We’d been playing maths games together, counting on his fingers, for a long time – and then, all of a sudden, he showed me how he had developed this new skill.

“It was a wonderful programme. At first, I felt a bit odd playing games – it seemed a bit childish. However, helping him with his schoolwork brought us closer together. It helped me see things from his point of view; before, I would get impatient if he did not grasp a concept immediately. Now I see exactly what goes into his learning. It’s made a real difference to his schoolwork, too: he’s now excelling at school, and he enjoys his lessons more.”

Sancha Hein of BrainBoosters is not surprised to learn that Matheatsie benefited significantly from the programme. “Parent involvement in their child’s development and formal education is key to a child’s achievement and performance in their education. 

“This is why BrainBoosters started focusing on supporting parenting skills and knowledge about their children’s development as far back as 2010. Kagiso Shanduka Trust’s (KST) partnership with BrainBoosters began when the latter was called upon to implement catch-up maths and reading programmes, implemented at several schools. 

KST is a collaboration between Kagiso Trust and the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation (formerly Shanduka Foundation), which was formed to support government in fulfilling its mandate in education through a holistic approach, explains Kagiso Shanduka Trust Operations Manager, Kaya Nyati. The Trust elected to focus on 16 schools in the Free State district of Motheo as part of this, and it was these schools that participated in the BrainBoosters programme.

Hein reports that the programme started parent meetings, comprising 16 icebreakers (usually games hosted on the sports field), followed by an in-class demonstration of the BrainBoosters programme. Thereafter, parents would play the two board games that were supplied as part of the parent packs given to each school. Back at home, the programme required parents to assist their children with tasks detailed on a homework sheet. Tasks had to be completed every day for 12 weeks. 

US research backs up results

Hein notes that, internationally, parent participation of this nature has been shown to have a massive impact. She cites US research, based on the responses of participants in an American initiative called Parents as Teachers, which noted that with extra parental involvement, children from disadvantaged backgrounds displayed the same level of school readiness as children from more affluent areas. They further experienced fewer remedial issues, their homes contained more books and their parents were inclined to be more up to date with their vaccination schedules. 

Parents involved in the KST BrainBoosters programme seem to have gained similar benefits. Hein has received feedback from many parents, observing how the programme has taught them how to help and support their children. Some say they have even learned more themselves from taking part in the initiative. They have also noticed a difference in their children: with some indicating their children are now less shy, and take pride in being the first to raise their hands in the classroom. They see children who feel more confident, display greater self-esteem and are eager to show off their new skills to their parents. Almost all parents have commented on the improvement they have seen in their children’s schoolwork – often, because they now see that learning is fun.

“The school readiness of every child is determined by the level of their parent’s involvement,” Hein says. “Yet, parents often don’t understand the importance of putting solid foundations in place before their children go to school.”

Steps in participation

So, how can you, as a parent, get more involved in your child’s education? After all, in a time-pressured society, this is not always easy. The answer is heartening: parents need not brush up on their algebra and long division in order to make a lasting impact. In fact, something as simple as eating healthily during pregnancy can be effective, as it ensures appropriate brain development. 

As children grow older, arranging play dates can give them a chance to develop social skills and learn how to interact with other children. Interactive games can also have a positive impact: a simple game with building blocks will expose children to new ideas and help stimulate their thinking, which, contributes to creativity, vocabulary and fine motor development. 

It is also a good idea for reading to be part of an everyday routine. More than simply boosting a child’s vocabulary, this will instil a life-long love of books and a curious mind – true gifts that will help them navigate the increasingly complex world we live in. Finally, parents are encouraged to engage with their children actively and take time to have proper conversations with them. Listening to what children have to say will teach them about respecting others, and will ensure they are opening to hearing about ideas. 

Often, a child will remember teachers long after they have left the classroom; but even this dims in comparison to the lasting impression a parent can make in a child’s readiness and attitude to learning.

YOUTH MONTH NEWS

#YouthMonth: Building a Youth Village with Bruce Dube

10 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    BY: CARI VAN WYK

28-year-old Bruce Dube owns and co-owns many digital media platforms through which he shares his passion for youth development and plays a significant role in promoting the role youth plays in our country and across the continent. Dube is one of the most active and successful leaders in youth development and entrepreneurship, his roles and achievements too many for this short intro. Let's hear what he has to say about South Africa and Africa's youth.

Bruce Dube

Tell us a bit more about yourself and how you’re involved in the youth of South Africa

I am the MD of a digital publishing company called Nine80 Digital Media which is a publishing company that targets the South African and African youth demographic. The business currently has a footprint in South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. We have dedicated youth portals running under the Youth Village brand in each of these countries that aim at facilitating better access to developmental information on areas like education, employment, entrepreneurship, health, opportunities, etc. In South Africa alone we generate over a million unique youth visitors every month from our digital platforms. 

On a personal level, I am an advocate for youth development and I have spoken on local and international platforms like Brussels Forum, Friends of Europe Summit, World Bank Young Professionals, British Council Global Change Makers and the German Marshall Fund of the United States on the importance of capitalising on Africa’s demographic dividend. 

What are the biggest challenges our youth is facing in your opinion?

I believe unemployment and access to opportunities are some of the biggest challenges faced by South African youth and I believe we need to urgently address these issues so we can capitalise on our youthful human capital which, if not addressed, will create problems for South Africa and the continent as we have seen with other fragile states on the continent where strikes and uprisings are the order of the day and young people are usually at the forefront of these movements.

You could be classified as a young mover and shaker. What were some of the obstacles you faced?

My biggest challenges were access to funding, networks and mentorship which I believe are core to a startup looking at scaling. A lot of challenges I went through could have been averted if I had access to these.

Your greatest achievements so far?

My greatest achievement has to be building a digital media company with a continental footprint which is self-sustainable and gaining massive momentum in all regions we are operating in. The business has 15-20 employees and is still growing. What is also exciting about this business is that we are part of a generation that is shaping the content and the format in which it’s being consumed by African youth. It’s also comforting to know that we are stimulating young people to stand up and be proactive in issues affecting them.

What can be done to accelerate youth development in the country?

I think in a lot of instances young people are constantly seen as drivers of change and not vehicles of change. I think we need to create more spaces where youth can contribute actively to issues affecting them and be part of those solutions. I also think that we need to expose our youth to more opportunities and resources, build more infrastructure in communities and create spaces for youth to learn, think, grow and create.

Entrepreneurship is often being hailed as the panacea for unemployment and youth becoming active in the economy. Do you think this is true? Why?

Definitely. Drawing from the high levels of youth unemployment in SA which is listed as one of the highest globally, it’s clear that whilst it’s important to expose the youth to more employment opportunities that could see them entering the job market, it’s equally important to seek to nurture a generation of job creators and not job seekers. 

SMEs are the largest recruiters of jobs in South Africa, attributed to at least 60% of all jobs and contributing 40% to the country’s GDP. These analytics indicate that SMMEs in South Africa employ more people than the private sector and government combined and because of that we need to see a lot more youth active in these space so they can create employment for more youth and be part of solutions to service and infrastructure development in their communities. With every challenge faced by communities, these challenges present business opportunities youth can tap into.

In your experience, how do the youth of our country and the African continent approach and view the challenges they are presented with?

I think most South African and African youth see constraints faced by the continent as just challenges and not opportunities and I think we need to stimulate a generation of solution seekers and innovators. Africa is a continent filled with many challenges but has natural resources and human capital potential that, if tapped into, can see the advancement of the continent from an infrastructure and employment point of view.

Which industries offer the most challenges for youth to access opportunities?

Assuming we're talking entrepreneurial opportunities, I think capital extensive industries like manufacturing, mining and construction are the most challenging for youth to tap into as they require a lot of capital and the capital usually requires collateral which most of our youth don’t have. I also think most of these industries have already been monopolised by major corporates which make it even harder for small players and startups.

Any words of wisdom or inspiration that you would like to share with SA’s youth?

Starting up I had a series of failures and from those failures I learned to persevere and keep pushing for my dream until it became a reality so I would like to encourage SA's youth to not allow anyone to belittle their dreams, to persevere, to work hard, to look around their communities for opportunities because remember with any challenge you see, an opportunity to address the challenge is presented. Furthermore, I would like to encourage young people to start with the little they have, where there are. Some of my greatest accomplishments did not necessarily have great beginnings, a lot of my projects got better with time but had I not tried and started something I would never have been where I am now.

INCLUSION & EQUALITY NEWS

Universities must do far more for students with disabilities

14 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    BY: DESIRE CHIWANDIRE AND LOUISE VINCENT

On paper, people with disabilities in South Africa enjoy the same rights as anyone else to an education, whether at school or university. The country's constitution prohibits the state from unfairly discriminating "directly or indirectly against anyone on the grounds of disability". South Africa is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This obliges the state "to take proactive measures to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are promoted and protected".

Students with disabilities face massive physical and attitudinal hurdles. UNAMID/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Universities, too, are obliged to reasonably accommodate those with disabilities. They must provide appropriate support services that are tailored to individuals’ educational needs.

The Higher Education Institutional Culture, Equity and Transformation Group at Rhodes University has been exploring disabled students’ experiences of universities. Our work, which will be presented at three different conferences in the latter half of 2016, suggests that many universities are not meeting their obligations to these students.

Universities are excluding, disabling

Most universities have, to date, responded to disabled students’ presence by drawing from what’s been called the “medical model” of disability. This model frames disability as an individual physical problem that’s inherent in a person’s own body. It emphasises the ways in which a disabled person lacks the capacity to fit into the existing institutional framework or environment – and so needs to be accommodated, if possible.

The alternative is to see the ways in which environments that are geared towards those who are regarded as “normal” are themselves excluding and disabling. It’s not disabled people who lack capacity: the lack lies in how these environments operate and what assumptions those who occupy them have about what is “normal”.

For example, institutions might see the person who needs a ramp to access a building as someone who needs to be “accommodated”. Instead environments should be seen as disabled when they don’t, as a matter of course, provide access to all humans regardless of their physical makeup.

Students with disabilities find that they must accommodate themselves to institutional contexts that are, from their point of view, profoundly disabling. The onus is placed on the student to “fit in”. These students often find themselves unable to access higher education. They make up less than 1% of South Africa’s total student population in post-secondary education and training. In total, 2.9 million South Africans – 7.5% of the population – are disabled.

When people with disabilities make it past the initial hurdles and into higher education, they’re often on the margins of university life – not just academically, but also socially.

More than financial barriers

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme provides bursaries specifically for students with disabilities. This money is meant to cover tuition, accommodation, meals and transport costs. It also pays for materials prescribed by the institution and one or more assistive devices, like wheelchairs.

But simply removing financial barriers and providing access to a disabling environment is not enough.

Many universities still don’t even have disability units. There have been several instances of students being turned away because universities don’t have the facilities to accommodate them. Even when access isn’t denied outright, though, students with disabilities face attitudinal and physical barriers. It’s not unreasonable to expect universities to provide sign language interpreters, ramps, assistive devices, carers and the like. Society must take its obligations to all its members seriously, regardless of their physical traits.

International examples prove that this can be done. In Sweden, 0.3% of the annual university budget is earmarked for meeting the different needs of students with disabilities. Canadian universities do well in supporting students with disabilities, too. Cornell University in the US has done excellent, practical work around this issue.

Canaries in the coal mine

Students with disabilities can be seen, in many ways, as the canaries of South Africa’s higher education system. They alert society to the ways in which universities continue to preach “inclusion” without asking the important question: included into what and by whom?

Universities must think carefully and engage fully with what it might mean to create cultures that are friendly to disability. This might provide new insights into the multiple ways in which dominant norms and practices do violence to those whose lives and experiences they exclude, ignore, denigrate and fail to recognise as fully human, deserving of equal respect and consideration. Inclusion into unchanged cultures, physical environments and day-to-day practices does not make institutions more just. It is institutions, not students, that are disabled and disabling.

Authors’ note: Are you an academic, Master’s or Doctoral student conducting research related to the experiences of students with disabilities in South African universities? If so, we would like to invite you to contribute a chapter to a new book. For more information or to send a concept note, contact Des Chiwandire on chiwandiredesire@gmail.com.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP NEWS

Nationwide youth business start-up truck marks call-to-entry for SAB KickStart 2016 competitions

7 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    ISSUED BY: MERCATIQUE CONSULTING

SAB KickStart Boost and Ignite open for entry on 1 June 2016

SAB’s flagship enterprise development programme, SAB KickStart will embark on a month-long recruitment campaign this Youth Month, using a new innovative #StartupTruck that will travel across the country on a youth entrepreneurship drive to find South Africa’s promising young entrepreneurs. 

The campaign, targeted at entrepreneurs and innovators between the ages of 18 and 35, will call on those with business ideas and existing start-ups to apply for the SAB KickStart Ignite and Boost programmes, respectively. 

Entries into the two programmes open on 1 June and close on 15 July 2016. Successful applicants stand the chance of winning a share of R9m in business development support and incubation.

The #StartupTruck will make its way across 10 identified locations in each province beginning in Tshwane, Gauteng on Friday,6 June 2016 and ending in Phillipi in the Western Cape on Tuesday, 24 June 2016.

SAB KickStart Ignite applicants with innovative business ideas are encouraged to visit the #StartupTruck locations and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. Those with existing qualifying businesses and entering SAB KickStart Boost are invited to submit their entry forms at the #StartupTruck and attend a free workshop on how to improve their businesses. 

At each stop-over, the #StartupTruck will partner with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) and start-up development organisations, including The Hookup Dinner and Durban Innovation Hub. Together, all partners will offer business support interventions aimed at assisting with accelerating the growth of start-ups. These interventions include pitching and product ideation; coaching aspiring entrepreneur launch their ideas; master class sessions focusing on business development topics such as start-up compliance and strategic growth planning.

“#StartupTruck is entrepreneurship support on wheels. It is designed to offer and deliver an accessible platform that assists young entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas and grow their small businesses. We are excited about the opportunity, together with our partners, to offer comprehensive support, resources and more importantly, increase access to the unlimited possibilities that entrepreneurship offers,” says Mpho Sadiki, SAB Head of Sustainability.

Over the past 21 years, SAB KickStart has remained focused on investing and supporting young entrepreneurs in building sustainable and economically viable enterprises which are able to make a high impact contribution towards reducing poverty through job creation. 

Entrepreneurs interested in entering either SAB KickStart Boost and SAB KickStart Ignite can direct queries to one of the following channels:

• Website: www.sabkickstart.net 
• Tel: +27 11 881 8493
• Email: kickstart@za.sabmiller.com
• Twitter: @SABKickStart
• Facebook: SAB KickStart

To enter SAB KickStart Ignite:

What we are looking for:

Entries must be an idea of a commercially viable product aligned to the Manufacturing or ICT Industry and makes use of one or more of the following materials – 3D printing, leather, wood, metal, laser and vinyl cutting, software design programs including CAD/CAM, and electronics including development of Internet of Things technology with Arduino and Raspberri Pi. 

How to enter:

Aspiring entrepreneurs with ideas must come and pitch their idea live at each of the following locations during the #StartupTruck tour:

6 June - Tswane University of Technology Soshanguwe, Aubrey Matlala & College Road
7 June - University of Limpopo Turfloop Campus, Science Education Centre Building
15 June – University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus, Chris Hani Road Soweto
20 June - Central University of Technology, 1 Park Road, Bloemfontein

The competition format will see eligible participants given just two minutes each to pitch their concept or idea to a panel of industry experts. The pitch must convince the panel that their idea or concept is good enough to develop into a viable start-up business. 

What is on offer:

Successful pitches will be invited to return for a one-day Bootcamp the following day to assist with the refinement of the business concept/ idea. Following this, a select few will be invited to participate in a six-month incubation, where they will receive business mentorship, business training, monthly stipend and R1.2m seed grant capital to launch their start-ups. 

Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to the process of incubation and a willingness to invest effort into developing their product and starting a business entity with the appropriate infrastructure provided by SAB KickStart Ignite. 

During incubation, the selected candidates will have the opportunity of turning their envisioned ideas into commercially viable products through the support of resident engineers and business trainers. They will evolve through technical and business mentorship, peer learning, networking and the use of advanced technology infrastructure. 

To enter SAB KickStart Boost:

What we are looking for:

The focus of SAB KickStart Boost is on core industries identified at national level by government as having high economic multiplier. The core industries and sectors are Agriculture and Food Processing, Renewable Energy, Mining and Minerals, Construction, Health, ICT, Science and Electronics, Automotive, Transport, Chemicals, Plastics, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, Tourism, Arts and Crafts, Metal Fabrication, Textiles, Clothing and Footwear.

Eligible businesses should also align to the following criteria:

• Operational for a minimum of 12 months and not more than five years
• Post revenue stage (sales made and concept proven) 
• Generating less than R5m in turnover per annum
• Employ a maximum of 15 employees (temporary or fulltime or a combination) 
• At least 51% black owned and managed 
• High growth potential that is scalable, with a sustainable competitive advantage

How to enter:

Entries into the competition close midnight on the 15 July 2015, and SAB will invite successful candidates to a selection interview in their province.

Apply online or download the application form on www.sabkickstart.net
Collect a form at any SAB site (located on the website)
Come and collect a form at any of the #StartupTruck locations during June.

What is on offer:

The programme offers successful participants a combination of support including intensive business skills training, tailored business development support, mentorship and R5m shared low interest seed capital loan.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP NEWS

Roche Mamabolo to host 'School of Startups' workshop

10 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    

On Thursday 16 June, Roche Mamabolo, the author of 'The Startup Revolution: Fit in or Stand Out', will host an entrepreneurship workshop entitled 'School of Startups' from 8.30am-5.30pm at the SAB World of Beer in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Roche Mamabolo

The School of Startups is designed to achieve several key objectives: to assist entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses; create employment; deploy innovative solutions in and through communities as well as to alleviate poverty in the country and beyond. 

The course content comprises of contemporary topics including: Strategy, Storytelling to the market and to the Investment community, Staffing, Raising Money and Cash Flow, Making Ideas Travel, Advertising and Competitors, Appealing to Consumers, Permission and Trust, Innovation, Creating Scarcity, Compromising, Adjusting the Course, The Startup Revolution, to name but a few.

Jabu Stone, the South African entrepreneur who has been in the industry for over 20 years operating in local and international markets, will be the guest speaker for the day. He will be outlining his success ingredients, unique business models and imparting advice to all participants. 

The past Schools of Startups have attracted close to an equal ratio of women to men, an array of businesses in different growth stages - from those in their first year of operation to those with over 12 years. Sectors represented in past events have included: retail; manufacturing; financial services; construction; catering and events; education and training as well as others.

The investment required to attend the event is R700. This includes a full bouquet of the courses, a copy of ‘The Startup Revolution: Fit in or Stand Out’ book which normally retails at R250, lunch and refreshments, as well as networking with other entrepreneurs. To ensure that the event is good value for money, there is a cap of 16 participants - on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The 16 June narrative has changed. Commemoration of the Uprising will focus on planting seeds that will sprout entrepreneurial history makers through the School of Startups by the LORA Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

EDUCATION NEWS

Sphere, Pearson deal to develop classrooms of the future

13 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    

In a landmark empowerment partnership deal, Sphere Holdings (Sphere) will acquire a 22.5% stake in Pearson South Africa Proprietary Limited (Pearson South Africa). The Sphere transaction together wth the Pearson Marang Education Trust's 2.5% holding raises Pearson South Africa's black ownership level to 25%.

©Cathy Yeulet via 123RF

Pearson South Africa is a subsidiary of Pearson plc, the world’s largest education company. Sphere is an established black-owned and managed investment holding company with a highly successful track record as an active long term investor in local and multinational companies providing critical infrastructure, and social and industrial goods and services to South and southern Africa. 

The combined cash and vendor financed transaction will also see Sphere CEO Itumeleng Kgaboesele, and Sphere executive director Marang Denalane, join the Pearson South Africa board. 

Commenting on the transaction, Michael Ogden, interim managing director of Pearson South Africa, said: “Sphere’s strong track record as professional investors, and proven capacity to work with multinational boards and management to deepen local client relationships and deliver winning South African strategies made them ideal investors and empowerment partners. Sphere has a clear commitment to South Africa that is closely aligned with our own values. Sphere also has the vision, credentials and technical skills necessary to advance our broad-based black economic empowerment goals and to help us take advantage of new opportunities.” 

Digitally enabled learning environments

Sphere director and new Pearson SA board member Marang Denalane said: “While South Africa is making massive investments in education as a national priority, we are not seeing the quality outcomes we should expect. This can and must change fast. Already, the so-called 4th industrial revolution – the digitised economy - is becoming a reality for our workforce. So it’s vital that we mobilise the best education content and teaching practices to equip millions of South African learners with the education they need to get jobs, compete globally and reindustrialise our economy. 

This starts with traditional textbooks, teaching and systems, and will evolve into increasingly digitally enabled learning environments – as we develop the classrooms of the future. We look forward to working with Pearson to adapt their unparalleled global education expertise, content and services to meet the needs of South African learners, teachers, education departments and schools.”

Supporting education

Denalane added that Sphere would work with Pearson SA’s board and management to develop and deliver a sustainable growth strategy, to build deeper relationships with key clients and education stakeholders, and to bring new leadership talent into the business while supporting their mentoring initiatives. 

Commenting further on the partnership, Ogden said: “Although publishing forms a core part of our business, we are looking to expand and enhance our managed services and digital offering – particularly in the public education sector. This partnership with Sphere, as a ‘home-grown’ investment company, will enable us to continue to grow our business in this sector and to positively impact many thousands of learners across the country.” 

“When Sphere was formed, one of the key strategic pillars was supporting education, empowerment and development in South Africa and we are confident that we will bring the same commitment and drive to our partnership with Pearson,” concluded Denalane.