The Faculty of Business and Management Sciences recently hosted the Study Abroad Fair, which gave students the opportunity to learn about all the exciting international study opportunities available to them.

The hybrid event included presentations by partner universities, Abertay University and the University of St Andrews, outlining the possible opportunities for students at these institutions in Scotland.

Andiswa Mrasi, Acting Manager Strategic Initiative and Projects in the Faculty, said the event aimed to expose students to partnerships the faculty has in different countries.

“It is our intent as a university to ensure that our students are fully aware of the global village that we live in. When you get your qualification, you should be ready to be able to work or even operate a business outside of South Africa. So we've decided to put together this event so that we can make you understand more what internationalisation is all about and why it is important.”

Mrasi said the number of partnerships had grown from 35 partnerships in 2022 to 51 this year.

Students were informed about scholarship opportunities, exchange possibilities and other opportunities while German exchange student, Phuong Trinh Nguyen, shared her experience of being an exchange student at CPUT.

An interactive question and answer session allowed students the opportunity to engage to gain more information about internationalisation.

The day concluded with an appearance by the SA Music Awards nominee, Cairo CPT.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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The Faculty of Business and Management Sciences in collaboration with the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, Division of Student Affairs and Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change recently hosted a Youth Month Commemoration event at Bellville Campus.

The event, themed, “Inspire Hope in the Student of 2024”. drew inspiration from the 1976 youth, who stood up in the hope of creating the tomorrow they envisaged. Manager: Strategic Initiatives and Projects, Andiswa Mrasi, said: “Today, our students are navigating various issues ranging from GBV, youth unemployment, and AI to mention a few. Therefore, this event seeks to encourage the students of 2024 to take up space and turn fear into hope as we work hard to build a better South Africa, Africa, and ultimately, the world we want.”

The event, which was also attended by the Dean of Students, Nonkosi Tyolwana, included a panel discussion, a live performance by a well-known international musician Cairo CPT, poetry, a public lecture on the role of the late great, Archbishop Desmond Tutu during the 1976 student uprising. On behalf of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, Charlene Houston said: “The Arch always said to young people: ‘Go on dreaming that we are going to have a different world to the one we live in’”.

She said the quality of education was always an important matter for Archbishop Tutu. Houston said his father was an educator, and he became a teacher. “Both he and Mrs Tutu were teachers until they understood the implications of the newly introduced Bantu Education system. They resigned in protest.” She said young leaders needed to look at what platform they have, what influence they have, and “how you can use that to make a difference”.

Houston added that Tutu always urged the “oldies” to listen to young people and he encouraged youth to use their voices and to take action. “Dream you must, but you also need to take collective action.”

She also reminded the young people that they have “a wonderful heritage, you stand on the shoulders of brave courageous, and righteous people such as the Arch, Mbuyisa Makhubu, and the youth of 1976”. “Hopefully, you participated in the recent national elections. It doesn’t stop there. Learn about the ways to stay involved…. there are many channels to do so formally or informally. As the Arch said, ‘Don’t be infected by the cynicism of oldies who believe this world can become better for all’, The baton is yours to pick up!”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Internationalisation has become an entrenched feature in higher education, where students and staff exchange opportunities, collaborative online learning, and collaborative qualification offerings have become the norm.

As such, the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences (FBMS) recently hosted a three-day International Week at Granger Bay and Bellville campuses. The event was attended by the Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Directorate, national and international academic, industry partners, and government representatives, both in person and online.

The industry partners included: ABSA, Sea Harvest and the South African Institute for Government Auditors. The government officials were from the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape provincial government. Speaking at the event, Assistant Dean: Teaching and Learning: FBMS, Prof Desiree Scholtz, said the benefits of these endeavours are unparalleled in creating life-long learning experiences. Scholtz said the operative word “here being ‘experience’ since the experience of being abroad is a life-long encounter”.

“Internationalisation opens new vistas of thinking, knowing, and doing that no theoretical learning can offer. The CPUT, and more importantly here, the FBMS has a growing number of partnerships in the Euro Zone, BRICS countries, Africa, and Canada with additional agreements being signed on a regular basis,” she noted.

Scholtz said the value assigned to internationalisation endeavours extends beyond developing academic prowess. “While the exchange of learning, teaching and curriculum is important to advance the academic agenda, we have found that personal engagement results in long-standing partnerships between departments and our faculty,” she said.

During the proceedings, delegates were given a slot to present an overview of their institutions. This started with the hosts, followed by other institutions such as the University of the Western Cape, the Polytechnic University of Porto, Portugal, the University of South Africa, and many more.

Reflecting on the conference, the organising committee chair, Andiswa Mrasi, said the FBMS Hybrid International Week is an annual event hosted by the FMBS.

Mrasi said the event's primary purpose is to create a platform where practitioners in the field of international education engage on important topics to enhance this discipline and share best practices. Mrasi, who is also a manager: Strategic Initiatives and Projects: FBMS, said: “This year, which marked the second Hybrid FBMS International Week was once again a resounding success. We were particularly pleased to witness the participation of local institutions.”

One of the event's highlights was the participation of local and international institutions, and the workshop on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), presented by Dr Pieter Steenkamp from the Marketing Department and Simon Kavanagh from Kaospilot, Denmark.

“We are encouraged to see the growth in engagements pertaining to Internationalisation,” said Mrasi.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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