How to promote entrepreneurship in higher education

PhD students and research funding mechanisms used by the South African government to significantly increase production outputs universities. Now you can find clever ways, to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education, said Professor Ahmed Biwa, vice-chancellor of the Durban University of Technology.

It also argued that the university plans to study 'general education' component of entrepreneurship, including stronger partnerships between universities and local stakeholders to entrepreneurship, and universities to drive more opportunities for students to engage in entrepreneurial activities.

Biwa speech was delivered by the International Network of South Africa's Eighth Annual Technology Conference 2015 "Entrepreneurship Education for Economic Renewal", a science park in the province of Gauteng Vaal University of Technology was held from 19-21 October.

The biggest challenge for South Africa's low economic growth, unemployment and inequality are, Biwa said. But in towns across the country, people have become dependent on remittances - money sent by relatives working in the cities - and the local economies and economic activity, and, therefore, to destroy the ability of communities to lift themselves out of poverty.

It is a lesson in entrepreneurship; it is not economic growth or jobs, or about knowledge production and science universities. "These are very important, but a wider range of activities entrepreneurship is about. It is primarily a social activity.

"Social justice is about. How we can re-establish a spirit of entrepreneurship at the level of the masses - a high level of self-sustainability in the production capacity of individuals and communities. The challenges we face as a university is to understand how to interact with this space."

Role of the national government

Biwa forward three key policy areas that are described in entrepreneurship and innovation.

National levels of government, and there has been growing awareness of the need for broad-based entrepreneurship, and the proof of this by the creation of the Department of Small Business Development, is the first competition.

"Whether the Department is doing what needs to be done is another matter. But, at least, the future of the economy that does not depend on the acceptance of essentially small [business] sector is underway."

The major sectors' of the economy is important, the enormous changes taking place that will lead to a work-wear. Without being explicitly programmed to operate computers science - - For example, the 'machine learning' means progress, much work to be done by the people who use the machines will be in the coming decades.

Thus, small-scale industry will be emphasized, supported Biwa.

"The challenge is not about the money. Cultural and social development and a new way to participate in. In addition, psychology, people say: 'Your life is in your hands, it is better to take a grip' on."

"I do not have the support that they would not, but then they are not involved in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship is getting into the communities, is a major challenge."

They want the government to focus on policies that would support this goal - and that they were unhelpful policies, such as small businesses, seems like a good idea, but it was an obstacle to the creation of companies to rethink the policy on the licensing; and massive investments in renewable energy projects in communities which depend on the roll-out refused.

Roles councils

Biwa cheering, Technology Innovation Agency and the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the bodies were not doing a good job there. The challenge was to move beyond small pilot, he said.

"Our practice is to take the best, imperfect as they are, and scaling them so that increasing numbers of people and communities, we will be able to enter an activist in the Basque Country."

Also worthy of such science, scientific and Industrial Research and the Council for the Human Sciences Research Council to establish the institutional capacity would be facing.

For several years, Biwa worked for the Ford Foundation in New York. One of the things he learned was the importance of small grants.

"One thing that R100 million (US $ 7.2 million) a grant to do, it is time to KwaZulu-Natal [provincial] government operatives shot - you have to make sure that this project, which I have heard of the disaster had occurred.

"It would be completely different, he said, if we have local communities, 'here's R100, 000, please believe that you can succeed in working with the Durban University of Technology is designing an activity'.

"These types of commitments, in terms of scale and in terms of who was involved in. It's the moment you make a large regional or national project, and then come into place a range of complexity."

Universities said Biwa, driven hard to grow the production of PhDs and research. "That's great. But what we have learned is that the production of high-quality research and doctoral students is not naturally lead to the growth of entrepreneurship and innovation.

"These are the essential inputs into the entrepreneurial and innovative society, but they are not enough input. Entrepreneurship which should be happening and what happens when we leave a chasm between the universities. That is, we must learn to fill in a cave."

PhD students and research funding mechanisms specializing in trips has increased, Biwa said, "and we will be looking for innovation and business in the same way."

"Is there a clever way to promote the development of those areas in which we want? Can we say the university, in addition to teaching and research in your measurements, we want to measure the levels of which are to promote entrepreneurship and innovation?"

The role of universities

the third policy is at the level of higher education institutions. Biwa submitted suggestions based on the work of the Durban University of Technology, led by the organization are doing, stressing, however, each university has its own dimension and context.

The first is the area of ​​the curriculum. At the Durban University of Technology, 30% of the curriculum have already or will soon be a 'general education' component, and students in the philosophy and ethics, among others.

"When I talk to employers of our graduates, I have never heard complaints about technical education. What I've heard is about skills, communication skills, work ethic writing -. Those kinds of things," the University is beginning to work with students in these areas.

Biwa literature 'general education' wants included. 7,000 first-year students, speaking in 2011, and how he did Sakes Mad, award-winning South African novelist, poet and playwright who read he recalled asking. "Not a single rose. How can you build a nation, a group of people they do not know from their own literature?"

In addition, entrepreneurship is part of the 'general education' curriculum will be. There will be areas, such as the history of entrepreneurship, small-large enterprise, and entrepreneurship in South Africa as a failure. "That does not necessarily produce entrepreneurship, but it will introduce young people to the idea of ​​entrepreneurship."

Connecting context

Secondly, Biwa said, there is a link between the university and the local context is the need to build a much larger - industry, communities, non-governmental organizations, community-based groups, trade unions and others.

"Universities cannot decide on entrepreneurship activities in isolation. You cannot sit behind a desk and say, 'I think it's a good idea to have a candle-making factory in this place." The only way you can do this through the commitment. "

Entrepreneurship ideas to emanate from the collaboration between the university and the people.”This means that you need to do interdisciplinary work, as there is in the world, so that the same kind of divide, into the discipline. The installation work on the interface between the university and the university within the context you need to be."

Durban University of Technology has set up 12 research centers, each of which is a 'dynamic interfaces' to different audiences. "That becomes an avenue for us to have these conversations.

"Another way to open the kind of commitment. Wherever people and people in the industry say that we have a joint meeting between the university? Joint we teaching? Can we mentorship student?"

Entrepreneurial Experiences

Third, he continued Biwa, who was at the university to give students the opportunity to engage in entrepreneurial experiences. In his university 'software factory' projects outside of academics, students and gets up to an external company.

"The goal is to get students involved in real life projects." The work is the work of students from the count, and the lesson is: ". What is the business opportunity you have to work in an environment shaped"

Similarly, universities have been more astute to have to deal with work-integrated learning experience? "Young people are not just to do homework. They are also the ones who are not working on innovations."

University, Biwa continued, should not only be engaged in entrepreneurship education, but part of the formal "across all aspects of its operation", "the curriculum 'or the curriculum outside the classroom.

"We have to tell all the student organizations, 'We expect you to be entrepreneurial, to generate income for you and we will support you, if possible, we hope.'"

"One thing I cannot be certain that this is a great passion for entrepreneurship. I will meet each student has got an idea. How many of these ideas will be an innovation or entrepreneurial activity is another matter. The question is how we support and mentor this."