https://www.miningweekly.com

Eskom contractor academy reaches 1 000 graduates milestone

15th April 2016

By: Terence Creamer

Creamer Media Editor

  

Font size: - +

Some 1 000 emerging contractors have, to date, graduated from the Eskom Contractor Academy, which was established in 2009 to improve the business acumen of entrepreneurs and sup- pliers to the State-owned utility.

The academy is financed by the Eskom Development Foundation, but is supported academically by the University of Limpopo and operated by Edupark, a nonprofit company linked to the university.

Speaking during the graduation of the latest 58 participants, who were drawn from Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the North West and Gauteng, Eskom CEO Brian Molefe described the academy as the utility’s flagship initiative for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Eskom, he added, was committed to streng- thening the “entrepreneurship ecosystem and to eradicating barriers to entry” for small business. “Of all the barriers to entry, let fear not be one of them.”

The programme has been established specifically for business owners and consists of eight modules, with students attending a study school for one week a month over an eight-month period. The objective is to equip emerging contractors and suppliers with the entrepreneurial, legislative, management, leadership and technical skills needed to run a business successfully.

The programme had already received domestic recognition from the American Chamber of Commerce and the Oliver Tambo Empowerment Award and has been nominated for the International Education Partnership Network awards, due to take place in Oslo, Norway, in September.

“The calibre and commitment of our students have translated into many success stories. One secured a R100-million contract, while another grew her company from 20 customers to 850 customers,” Molefe enthused.

The academy is placing emphasis on black- women- and youth-owned businesses, with 53% of the 2015/16 student intake being women and 45% young people.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Magazine Managing Editor

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

Alco-Safe
Alco-Safe

Developed to exceed the latest EN 15964 standards for police breathalysers proving that it will remain accurate and reliable for many years to come.

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Rentech
Rentech

Rentech provides renewable energy products and services to the local and selected African markets. Supplying inverters, lithium and lead-acid...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.041 0.677s - 110pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now