“BE focused and discerning when selecting post-school study options.” That’s the special word of advice to youth from Dr Linda Meyer, who was recently appointed as the deputy academic head of Boston City Campus and Business College.
“Students must select study programmes that add value to their prospects of employment and career advancement,” she urges. “We recently celebrated Youth Month (which was themed ‘The year of OR Tambo: Advancing Youth Economic Empowerment’), so remember that good education is the starting point to youth economic empowerment.
“Research courses and compare advantages and disadvantages of each. Speak with professional bodies and institutions as well as employers to find out which courses they recommend. You should choose a course that is well-regarded among the companies in the industry you aspire to enter,” she adds.
Boston is a private higher education institution that has been delivering quality education for over 25 years at its 46 support centres throughout South Africa, including Alberton. Meyer personifies the award-winning college’s pay-off line, ‘Education for Life’. She has a long list of qualifications behind her name, which includes a PhD in Management of Technology and Innovation, a doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) as well as an MBA, BBA, PGDip and various diplomas and certificates.
“It’s not just for the love of learning, but for the love of students that I continue to study,” Meyer explains. “It’s important to stay current and to impart current knowledge to our students. In today’s knowledge-driven economy, current knowledge is a powerful commodity.”
Meyer is responsible for a number of academic portfolios as well as operational areas like student registration, product development and driving innovative modes of delivery to students in Boston’s Higher Education (HE) division. Her role includes the continual review of student support services and structures, to ensure that students succeed in their studies. “Our focus is to equip students so that they are marketable and prepared for the world of work,” she emphasises.
Higher education programmes lead to academic qualifications – such as degrees, diplomas and higher certificates – registered on the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Higher education qualifications are primarily academic in nature and concentrate on building a knowledge base that can be applied in various professional and workplace contexts.
However, at Boston, the practical side is not neglected. All Boston’s HE courses have a workplace-integrated learning component. “We assist our students to gain workplace experience in partnership with various public and private sector institutions,” Meyer points out. “Through a structured approach, we prepare students for the real workplace. Furthermore, we have built strong relationships with professional bodies like SABPP, the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB), FMI and CompTIA, to ensure that our students have credible qualifications, and are marketable and sought after in the competitive job market.”
What excites Meyer the most about higher education in South Africa at present, is the fact that higher education qualifications elevate the youth’s employment prospects. And what worries her the most? Mitigating the negative economic and societal challenges that students often face.
“Given the current economic climate and unemployment rate, times are particularly challenging for students and their families,” she elaborates. “We need to ensure that we support each and every student through his or her personal challenges. Every student must be able to reach his or her full potential.”
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