Enterprises UP involved in official launch of IGMD Programme

“Business incubators are important in developing and promoting growth of small enterprises. In the South African context they also drive the transformation agenda and promote economic inclusion to undo the legacy of our past. Their management and operation therefore needs competent individuals capable of developing start-ups into scalable and sustainable enterprises.”

This was said recently by Mandisa Tshikwatamba, CEO of the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) at the official launch of the Incubation Governance and Management Development Programme (IGMDP); and graduation of the first cohort of incubation managers, in Pretoria. Due to the rapid growth in the number of incubators there was a need to pay attention to the management and governance of these centres. The IGMDP was developed through a partnership between the Seda; the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD); the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) and Enterprises University of Pretoria (Enterprises UP). Seda was tasked to be the programme manager and the implementing partner.

Enterprises UP was contracted to develop a training programme specifically for this sector of the ecosystem, which has been rapidly growing over the last few years. IGMDP seeks to improve skills to effectively manage and ensure good governance at the incubators. The programme will also upskill incubation managers.

The first cohort of incubation managers completed the course during the 2017 academic year. The course modules include: the business incubation ecosystem; governance; marketing and stakeholder management; human resource and operations management; financial management; innovation and technology transfer; incubator management simulation and a business model design research project.

The first cohort of graduates

Ms Tshikwatamba extended an invitation to incubation managers from both private and publicly funded incubators to take advantage of the programme. Building an effective incubation ecosystem is vital to the growth and development of SMMEs and ultimately economic growth in the country, said Ms Tshikwatamba. She said Seda and the DSBD continue to engage various stakeholders in the ecosystem with the view of developing a policy framework for business incubators for South Africa.

The next cohort intake for the 2019 calendar year has opened and will close on 1 September 2018.

For more information on the next intake, please contact Michelle Horn at [email protected]. See more on  training programmes and short courses and on Enterprises  UP's collaborative research and advisory services.