Looking for work or starting your own business after graduating can be challenging.
This is especially true in South Africa, which suffers from an unemployment rate of more than 25%. Because of this fact, the ability for young people to be entrepreneurial and employable is therefore crucial.
Not just in South Africa but in many other countries where there is a high incidence of unemployment, a high level of entrepreneurship tends to exist. The main challenge however is to provide jobs for those looking and/or opportunities for youth who have left school because they do not have the skills required for the professional world. The good news is that this can be achieved through education before they enter the job market. As a result, it is important to produce ‘real world’ graduates with 21st century and employability skills who will not only contribute successfully to their work, but also to society.
One of those students is Phumudzo Madzhie.
Phumudzo Madzhie is a successful businessman, investor, philanthropist, motivational speaker, financial literacy activist and alumnus of MGI, Pearson’s Institute of Higher Education in South Africa. He studied a Business Administration degree followed by Honours in Business Management.
Phumudzo believes that the structure and modules of the degree provided a good foundation for his already business-orientated mind: “For me, it was not just about coming to school and getting it done because it needs to be done, but I really took the lessons literally and practically and I tried to implement them in my own business.” He is the youngest franchisee in the history of the Mike’s Kitchen Group, responsible for strategic planning, all major investment decisions and organisational development.
“One of the modules that stood out for me was Organisational Behaviour. One of the best lecturers at the time was Mrs Steyn who taught us how an organisation works, how certain departments are interrelated and how to drive performance in an organisation. I took that literally: as I was starting my business I would attend class today, and tomorrow, I would try to implement some of those things.”
Phumudzo is also one of the 40 young South Africans who were selected to participate in the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, the flagship programme of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. As part of the programme, Phumudzo spent six weeks in the United States earlier this year where he attended lectures presented by some of the Fortune 500 CEO’s at Northwestern University in Chicago.
Phumudzo believes he had an advantage by completing his studies at such a career and employability-focused institution, especially the Honours degree, as opposed to peers who studied at other institutions. “A whole world opened up in a way. It was not just theoretical, it was very much practical. It was not just about what you learn today, it’s about how you apply it tomorrow.”
Being a student at such a focused institution presented him with the tools to go further: “I am currently doing my MBA and I was able to sail through it until I was only left with three modules, because of the structure I had learnt. There is a certain level of independence that I learnt that has contributed a lot to how I approach my studies. Often we talk about being self-motivated and self-driven, but you cannot be self-driven if you cannot work independently.”
Phumudzo attributes his success to the quality of education he received that not only allowed him to prove his academic skills but also gave him skills to grow his businesses and that any possible employers would demand.
This is why MGI, Pearson’s Institute of Higher Education in South Africa, focuses on a ‘real world ready’ approach through teaching, learning and assessment. We believe that in today’s world it is more important than ever for students to have employability skills when they graduate. If not, future generations of graduates are going to find themselves locked out of the job market and deprived of the chance to find work and have successful careers. We are proud to be helping our students enter the world of work with the skills they need to succeed, and look forward to seeing even more like Phumudzo flourish.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by Pearson, a sponsor of the Guardian Global Development Professionals Network
