A group of young people recently graduated from the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Stadium’s student entrepreneurship and youth development programme, the Stadium announced today.
The programme, hosted by the stadium, catered for undergraduate and postgraduate students, to develop entrepreneurial skills.
The three-day course focused on elevating the level of entrepreneurial activities for the students and young graduates, it examined how student entrepreneurship can address youth unemployment in the country, and it explored how skills and knowledge gained in undergraduate and postgraduate studies can be used to build entrepreneurial ventures.
The stadium’s introduction of the youth entrepreneurship programme for undergraduates and postgraduates is aimed at educating them about entrepreneurship and benefits it will yield in future.
“Knowing and applying the entrepreneurial activities will help the youth to gain unique skills and be able to think outside of the box. This programme will create an opportunity for the young graduates to develop confidence at a young age and to also be willing to take risks,’’ said Phumulani Hlatshwayo, NMB Stadium Commercial Unit Head.
Hlatshwayo said the programme is designed with the objective that it will contribute to addressing youth unemployment in South Africa by developing entrepreneurs who will in turn create job opportunities. Among the partners are business corporates invited on the programme to share their experiences to inspire the youth. The South African government also has agencies that have been created to assist young entrepreneurs with skills development and mentorship, he added.
‘’Student entrepreneurship is very important in terms of addressing the challenges that the youth face. We have innovative ideas that is able to create employment and solve the challenges that the youth face,” remarked Andile Ntwana, Nelson Mandela University student.
‘’When pursuing a degree or diploma, you are taught how to think and assess. Your knowledge base is broadened, which is what you need as an entrepreneur so that you don’t focus on one thing,’’ added Ntwana.
Hlatshwayo remarked that it was important for the youth to know what goals they want to achieve when venturing into the entrepreneurship industry. He said it is important that they be bold and confident enough to take risks to be successful. Skills obtained by the students through the programme will be useful when starting their own businesses and creating job opportunities, he concluded.
