Skills development programmes expand access for historically disadvantaged students

Delivering social value 

Even as debates about diversity, equity and inclusion shift some institutions' admissions practices, higher education institutions are increasingly expected to deliver value to students and society. A common way of creating impact is a more diverse student body, which has been found to generate positive economic and social impacts, including elevated socio-economic status for graduates, among other benefits. However, efforts to diversify campuses have met complex obstacles: institutions have discovered that providing financial support is an easier challenge to solve than making campuses accessible and culturally inclusive.  

In South Africa, where Stellenbosch Business School is based, efforts to broaden the student body are grounded in the vision of a post-apartheid Rainbow Nation economy. Unfortunately, historical inequities have been extremely challenging to overcome – South Africa has one of the world’s lowest education attainment rates in the world, with only 7% of the population holding a tertiary degree, on top of the world’s highest inequality and highest youth unemployment rates.  

Ladders of access for non-traditional students 

In an effort to address South Africa’s persistent social and economic inequalities, Stellenbosch Business School created basic skills development programmes for two underserved but economically significant populations: low-income entrepreneurs and leaders of non-profit organisations (NPOs). For over a decade, these programmes, the Small Business Academy and NPO Management Development Programme, have offered certificates of completion to participants that can be used as qualifications for continuing education. Studies have found organisations run by programme alumni survive longer, hire more people, and grow stronger than peer organisations.  

The primary intention in developing these programmes was to upskill leaders with the hope they would become stronger leaders. A welcome secondary impact has been that these programmes have served as ladders of access to continuing formal education. Many alumni of these programmes have gone on to attain post-graduate through doctoral-level degrees. Both primary and secondary impacts offer a lesson institutions around the world can learn from opening their resources and skills to non-traditional students in more easily accessible programming both improves society and the economy while also acting as a feeder for high quality, non-traditional students.  

The weeklong NPO course offered at SBS is designed to strengthen core skills in strategy, financial management, fundraising, marketing, and governance – areas widely documented as needing improvement in the sector and which the business school is well-positioned to teach. The course’s curriculum is continually updated to ensure accessibility and a focus on practical workplace application. Financially, the programme is relatively inexpensive to run as it leverages existing university resources, and faculty and administrative staff report high levels of satisfaction from participating in these programmes.  

To keep fees low and thus accessible to the broadest population possible, the programme is subsidised by the business school’s social impact group and business school alumni. The programmes have enriched opportunities for visiting international students as well, to share mutually helpful advice, mentoring, and networking with participants.  

A story of continuing education and social impact 

Take the case of Sammy Nena. In 2023, Sammy attended the week-long NPO management course online, from East London in the Eastern Cape province. A Black South African, Sammy is the first in his family to attain tertiary education.  

Sammy has shared that sense of belonging gained in the week-long course gave him the confidence to enroll in Stellenbosch Business School’s postgraduate diploma for leadership (PGDL), electing the NPO leadership stream that had been developed to fill a gap in education offerings in South Africa. What had previously seemed an unattainable goal now seemed possible in a now-familiar institution. Sammy earned high marks in his PGDL, including a distinction. ''The experience was life-changing,'' Sammy says, not only from the skills and knowledge gained, but from his increased sense of leadership and possibility. Sammy is furthering his education in a master's degree in philanthropy while he launches a non-profit organisation that connects technical college students with workplace internships that build required workplace skills and enable students to complete their degrees. The Eastern Cape has the second-highest unemployment rates in the country, and Sammy’s NPO is filling the gap by enabling skilled workers to find meaningful work.  

The skills, self-efficacy, and credentials he has earned have fuelled his passion to address educational inequities in the underserved province and address an intractable social and economic challenge. Sammy credits the initial week-long NPO course with galvanising his educational journey that has led to his participation in uplifting his community.  

Lessons learned for building ladders of accessibility 

• Leverage the institution’s strengths and resources to address a local population’s need.   

• Engage stakeholders to develop an offering addressing the issue. The offering has the most impact when co-created within the context of the intended beneficiaries. 

• Reduce barriers to entry: Needs such as meals, transportation, and internet connectivity might be considerations in resource-constrained environments.  

• Make the offering as practical and immediately applicable as possible to maximise consolidation of learning. 

• Remain open to continual evolution of the offering, to meet the community’s needs.   

• Clarify future opportunities and ensure participants feel welcomed by the institutions.  

• For Stellenbosch Business School’s context, South Africa’s Recognition of Prior Learning, which enables life experience to substitute for formal credits, is explained to participants so they understand their options.   

• On-campus events for nearby participants go a long way toward increasing familiarity and a sense of belonging .  

Uplifting change makers 

Stellenbosch Business School is gratified that opening its classrooms to non-traditional students has had a positive impact strengthening small businesses and non-profit organisations. While these special skills development programmes are upskilling underserved communities, the impacts of these offerings extend beyond the curricula to uplift leaders, unlocking participants’ confidence in continuing their education and developing their roles as change makers. As one participant said, ‘My future is now in my hands because I know my capabilities.’