ABM launches entrepreneurship development programme

KEABETSWE NEWEL
Correspondent | Tuesday June 28, 2011 00:00

The workshop is a training programme to upgrade entrepreneurship skills, especially for the 99 young alumni of ABM University College who graduated last year.

Speaking at the official opening of the programme yesterday, the Executive Director of ABM, Daisy Molefhe, said the aim of the training was to equip the graduates with business skills. 'This five-day course is accredited by BOTA,' she said.

'We used to run it for the Ministry of Youth at a fee. This time we saw fit to offer freely to our alumni as part of our mission to provide entrepreneurship development through market responsive education, training, research, consultancy and innovative service delivery.'

ABM's Business Development Manager, Ntekeng Masisi, said ABM had a desire to grow into the university of choice. In addition to this vision and mission, the institution's logo carries reads: 'Raising a Generation of Prosperous Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.'

Masisi said they were delighted that resources were pulling in that direction. Furthermore, ABM underwent restructuring in 2009 to re-sharpen its focus on its vision, mission and strategy. She said implementation of the restructuring report had resulted in inclusion of the Department of Business Development Department in the structure of ABM.

'The department has three units, namely, Marketing, Business Development and Training,' she said. 'The marketing unit publicises the institution's programmes locally and regionally and manages the ABM brand.'

Over the past two years, Masisi said the marketing unit visited Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe and was currently in Namibia on a mission to recruit students for the next intake.

The unit's hard work earned the institution a second place in the tertiary education sector at the recent BOCCIM Northern Trade Fair after the University of Botswana.

Masisi said after conferring certificates and diplomas on their students upon graduation, ABM went further to prepare the students for the workplace and the world of business. 'We have realized that there is a skills gap that is created by the dynamism of the business environment,' she said. 'Therefore, there is a need to update our skills and keep up with developments on the world market.'

ABM has invited stakeholders, among them the Local Enterprises Authority (LEA) and the Citizen Entrepreneurship Development Agency (CEDA), to also share their skills with the aspiring young entrepreneurs.