Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship

Purpose

Entrepreneurial success is central to promoting economic growth and development. Entrepreneurs create and exploit change, are innovative and have the ability to mobilise resources to create value by invention or by improvement of existing products and/or services. The qualification is designed for aspirant entrepreneurs to nurture their entrepreneurial ambitions and enable and empower them into their new ventures through an academically rigorous, directly relevant and applied learning experience.

The qualification seeks to maintain and develop academic curiosity so as to promote scientific values such as openness, precision and the importance of differentiating between knowledge and opinions. At the end of the qualification the learners should be able to reflect upon central, ethical, philosophical and scientific problems in relation to individual work and the work of others.

Rationale

South Africa's official unemployment figure stands at 25% with unofficial figures in the region of 36%. The unemployment problem is particularly acute amongst youth for whom unemployment is deepening. In 2007 more than 51% of those aged between 15 and 21 were unemployed. This makes South African youth unemployment rate arguably amongst the highest in the world. Graduate unemployment is a problem with estimates sitting at almost 7% in 2005.

Researchers, analysts and public policy makers have recommended entrepreneurship as holding potential for the problem. This qualification attempts to equip aspirant entrepreneurs with the attitudes, knowledge and skills that will enable them to start their own ventures. Entrepreneurship development and training will inspire entrepreneurial behaviour amongst youth and develop and to empower them into becoming job creators rather than job seekers. More successful entrepreneurs in their small and new businesses are critical to contributing to the massive unemployment problem we face. Entrepreneurship education is thus a strategic imperative for South Africa as enunciated in the Human Resources Development Council recently appointed by the Deputy President of South Africa.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Prior learning will be recognised. Appropriate professional qualifications, practical experience in business, or other recognised university qualifications can be recognised for admission.

Entry Requirements

• A relevant Bachelor's Degree, Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 128 Credits

• Entrepreneurial Accounting and Finance, 16 Credits.
• Entrepreneurial Marketing and Supply Chain Management, 16 Credits.
• Entrepreneurial Strategy and Entrepreneurial. Sustainability, 16 Credits.
• Creativity, Innovation and Economic Development, 16 Credits.
• The Enterprise Environment, 16 Credits.
• Perspectives in Entrepreneurship, 16 Credits.
• Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship, 16 Credits.
• Business Planning, 16 Credits.

1. Understand the process of bringing new knowledge or new technologies to the market.
2. Combine and apply knowledge of entrepreneurship and insights from existing successful entrepreneurial ventures.
3. Assess the commercial potential of new technologies in new and/or existing markets.
4. Identify opportunities and challenges associated with the organisation and finance new initiatives such as new business ventures.
5. Analyse the challenges associated with the rapid growth of new business ventures.
6. Assess the commercial viability of a new technology-based idea and using various methods and tools for this purpose.
7. Transform research-based ideas into feasibility and business plans and use tacit and explicit methods and tools for this purpose.
8. Present new ideas to the market.
9. Assess the need for innovation and initiate the process and running innovations in organisations.
10. Seize opportunities, organising and financing viable initiatives through to fruition.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes

1. Synthesise research that presents the commercial viability of a new business proposition.
2. Apply creativity techniques to the development of new business ideas.
3. Apply knowledge to current practice.
4. Research and compile appropriate information on practice.
5. Develop an engaging presentation.

Integrated Assessment

Each module will be assessed through a comprehensive suite of individual and/or group, written and/or oral year work assignments as both diagnostic and formative assessments.

Summative assessments vary according to the nature of the course (assignments and/or tests and/or examinations) and are designed to give learners the opportunity to demonstrate a variety of competencies. Such assessment will reflect an understanding of learning as mult-dimensional and integrated and linked to performance (as in the presentation of a Business Plan as a summative assessment).

The completion of this qualification requires a pass mark of 50% for each of the 8 modules. In order for all the assessment purposes to be achieved, business plan, presentation, test and examinations, open pitch presentation, case study, individual presentation of a video documentary will form part of assessment methods.