An investment from the Wholesale and Retail Seta (W&R) has resulted in the establishment of the Wholesale and Retail Leadership Chair at CPUT.

The chair, which is based in the Faculty of Business is the only of its kind in South Africa and is set to drive research and contribute to the development of professionalism in the wholesale and retail sector.

Recently Chairman of the W&R SETA Board Dr Thami Mazwai met with a CPUT delegation to discuss the work that will be done by the chair.

Mazwai says the chair is crucial and must contribute to the development of the sector, which plays a key role in the South African economy as a major employer.

Currently this sector is the fourth largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product and employs approximately 22% of the total workforce of the country.

“The W&R SETA is committed to this chair and is excited for the partnership with CPUT,” says Mazwai.

Chair holder, Prof Jacobus Steyn, commended W&R SETA for driving the establishment of the chair and for partnering with CPUT.

“The initiative taken by the W&R Seta to establish a research chair should be applauded. The research programme will benefit industry and assist the W&R Seta in its endeavors to address critical skills shortages,” says Steyn.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Chris Nhlapo, says the chair will also help CPUT bridge the chasm between academia and the small business sector.

Nhlapo says CPUT focuses on applied research which can contribute to the development and growth of the country’s small business sector.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Research activities at CPUT are set to intensify with the roll-out of five additional research chairs.

The chairs are internally funded and will bring the number of research chairs at CPUT to nine.

The university currently has four chairs that are funded by external partners.

This includes a Chair in Wholesale and Retail Leadership, which is funded by the Wholesale and Retail Seta as well as Chairs in Teacher Education, Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology and Small Satellite Technology and Applications for Africa, which are funded by the National Research Foundation.

The roll-out of the new research chairs comes as the university prepares to launch its seven focus research areas, which form part of the Research and Technology Innovation Blueprint (RTI), a strategy document that sets CPUT’s research agenda.

Dr Chris Nhlapo, DVC for Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, who is driving the RTI, says each focus area will be anchored by a chair, which will be responsible to drive research in the identified area.

 “These individuals will have to set an agenda for the focus areas as well as set up niche areas,” says Nhlapo.

The new chairs will focus on the areas of energy, climate change and environment, human and social dynamics, including issues related to service delivery, economic growth and international competitiveness as well as design for sustainability.

The existing chairs will support the focus area of bio-economy and biotechnology and space science and technology.

Nhlapo says the choice of these focus areas have been informed by CPUT’s strengths, areas likely to make the strongest contribution to strategic imperatives and national priorities as well as the need to support a multi-disciplinary approach to research and innovation.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Thanks to the Wholesale and Retail SETA (W&RSETA) hundreds of CPUT students have received much needed financial support this year.

The W&RSETA has provided bursaries to the tune of R12 million, which will help cover the tuition cost of 250 Retail Business Management students.

Head of the department, Petrus Venter says the bursaries are welcomed as retail managers are listed as the number one critical scarce skill in the retail industry.

Venter says the bursaries for CPUT students is part of a broader development initiative, which has seen the W&RSETA offer bursaries to all students at South African universities who are enrolled in retail business management programmes.

In addition to the W&RSETA‘s funding support, 40 retailers have also provided student bursaries, says Venter.

CPUT has the largest centre for retail training in Africa. The Department of Retail Business Management has more than 800 students from National diploma level up to Doctoral degree level.

The University is also home to Africa’s only Wholesale and Retail (W&R) Leadership Chair.

The chair, which is based in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences,  was established as a result of the W&R SETA's initiative to co-operate with universities to encourage the production of academic and applied research in this sector of business.

The chair is fully-funded by SETA to the tune of over R11-million.

*Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Written by Kwanele Butana

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