Edupark wins gold at Global Best Awards

Edupark, a facility of the University of Limpopo, has been selected as the winner of the Gold Global Best Award by the International Educational Partnership Network in the category of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Skills for the Africa region, which is a programme facilitated by Edupark on behalf of the parastatal.
This award was made for the Eskom Contractors’ Academy, an innovative programme that equips contractors with the skills to enable them to build sustainable businesses.
The courses were launched in 2008 with Edupark conducting two courses with 14 students participating in each course. The courses comprise aspects such as project management and supply chain management and related fields, and one week each month for eight months the participants, between 14 and 18 per course, meet to be taught. The courses are now presented all over the country.
The bi-annual event, the Global Best Awards, celebrates outstanding and effective business, education and community organisation partnerships that have a significant impact on the communities in which they operate.
Jo Nel, Chief Executive Officer of Edupark, could not contain his excitement when the news of them winning the award became known. “This programme is the best of its kind in South Africa – yet nobody knows of it,” he said. He stated that the programme is very successful.
“Consider the successes of the graduates from this programme. Our students have been awarded contracts to the value of R1,2 billion. One of the students grew her business from 20 employees in 2008 to 850 currently. The value of benefits to Eskom at the Medupi project was R51 for every R5,73 spent.” Nel credited the success to the passion and energy of the people involved, people such as Mahlo Mokgalong, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Limpopo who has supported the programme from its inception and given guidance and counselling, Steph Prinsloo from Eskom who has ensured that the sponsor was satisfied with the execution of the contract, Adri Williams, Programme Manager – Special Contracts at Edupark, who heads the programme’s administration, the Edupark staff and all the facilitators.
Nel said a team, comprising Williams, Cecil Ramonotsi, Eskom Development Foundation NPC acting Chief Executive Officer and himself, is heading for Oslo, Norway, on 14 September 2016 to collect the award.
“But let’s all hold thumbs because we are now automatic entrants in the Global Best Overall Award. Now, wouldn’t that be outstanding if we come home with it,” he said.
The Eskom Contractors’ Academy has already won the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa’s Gold award in the incubation category, the Komosa award by the Department of Public Works, silver in the Institute of Master Coaches of South Africa’s category ‘Project of the Year’ and gold in the 13th Annual Empowerment Award (Socio Economic category). The programme has also featured as the focus of a Master’s dissertation and as a business case study at an international business conference.

Story: NELIE ERASMUS
>>nelie.observer@gmail.com

Featured Photo:   Jo Nel, Chief Executive Officer of Edupark.