Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education Program

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The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) program is a platform that encourages student and graduate entrepreneurship within the context of higher education in South Africa.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The EDHE program primarily seeks to foster entrepreneurship among university students and enhance the entrepreneurial capabilities of students, academics, and managers. The initiative is designed to encourage students to achieve economic success during and after their tertiary education. By promoting entrepreneurial initiatives within universities, the program addresses the challenge of unemployment and aims to stimulate economic growth and innovation. EDHE emphasizes the development of 21st-century skills, knowledge, and inventive traits necessary for socio-economic improvement, particularly in light of significant job losses prompted by events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific objectives of the program include:

  1. Developing the entrepreneurial capacity of students, academics, and leaders.
  2. Making entrepreneurship education and training accessible to all students across disciplines.
  3. Driving entrepreneurship development through curriculum pathways relevant to the South African context.
  4. Encouraging universities to offer entrepreneurship modules and to create entrepreneurial ecosystems on their campuses. 
How does the program work?

EDHE operates under the premise that entrepreneurship is crucial for reducing poverty, unemployment, and for boosting the economy. The program was initiated to transform universities into entrepreneurial spaces and to stimulate innovation and technology transfer within these institutions. The framework also seeks to provide universities with guidance on how to develop and deliver effective entrepreneurship education program. The main features of the program are:

  1. Executive Leadership Workshop (ELW): The ELW involves senior leadership from South African public universities, focusing on entrepreneurship development. This workshop, themed "Entrepreneurship at Universities," is an example of how the program brings together university leaders to discuss and strategize on entrepreneurship within their institutions.
  2. Partnerships: EDHE operates in partnership with various bodies, including the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the British Council, and Stellenbosch University. Collaborations with these partners enhance support and resources for the program's initiatives.
  3. Curriculum Integration: One of EDHE's goals is to integrate entrepreneurship into university curricula, extending beyond just business students, and to employ innovative teaching methods. This approach aims to provide students with both the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills to start and sustain businesses.
  4. Funding and Support: Funding challenges have been identified as a significant hurdle for entrepreneurship programs at universities. The program looks for ways to fund entrepreneurship initiatives, and the HRDC-SA has been an advisory body contributing to supporting the entrepreneurship ecosystem through policy and funding support.
  5. Forums and Task Teams: The Forum of Entrepreneurship Development Centres at Higher Education Institutions (FEDCI) was launched to involve all South African universities in entrepreneurship development. This includes sharing best practices in teaching, training, development, and research. Also, the Enabling Entrepreneurship Technical Task Team (TTT) was established to investigate the entrepreneurial landscape and find ways to introduce an integrated support system.
  6. Annual Events: Events such as the EDHE Lekgotla, Intervarsity Competition, Student Entrepreneurship Week, and Executive Leadership Workshops are part of the program's efforts to promote entrepreneurship and are entrenched on the annual EDHE calendar.
  7. Research and Policy Development: Ground-breaking projects like the National University Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Baseline Research have been completed, and key learnings with policy implications were drawn from this study. Institutions are formulating and adopting their own entrepreneurship policies, which will inform the national entrepreneurship policy.

Through these mechanisms, the EDHE program works to develop a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem in South African universities, encouraging graduating students to consider entrepreneurship as a viable career path, and addressing the scarcity of entrepreneurial ventures among the youth by equipping them with the necessary skills, mindset, and attitudes to start and sustain businesses.

What is the overall cost?

EDHE receives R17.9 million (approx. $940,000) per year. 

How was it implemented?

The EDHE program was created in 2016 through a series of collaborative efforts and strategic planning to address the need for job creation and economic growth through entrepreneurship. The idea of transforming universities into entrepreneurial spaces led to the conceptualization of the EDHE program. Dr. Engela van Staden, who was the Chief Director of Academic Planning and Management Support at DHET at the time, played a crucial role in this phase.

To translate this concept into action, the Human Resources Development Council of South Africa (HRDC-SA) established the Enabling Entrepreneurship Technical Task Team (TTT) in 2011. The TTT was tasked with investigating the entrepreneurial landscape in the country and devising an integrated support system that would foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem within the higher education sector.

With a mandate to create a supportive environment for entrepreneurship, the program looked into various avenues of policy development, curriculum integration, and ecosystem building. It sought to secure commitment from university leadership and to promote collaboration among universities to share best practices in entrepreneurship education.

To operationalize the program, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) played a significant role in providing funding and aligning the initiative with national educational policies. The launch of the Forum of Entrepreneurship Development Centres at Higher Education Institutions (FEDCI) in 2013 was a key step in bringing together all South African universities under the entrepreneurship development umbrella.

What impact has been measured?

There is currently no available information about the impact of EDHE. 

What lessons can be learned?

From the implementation and ongoing activities of the EDHE program in South Africa, several lessons can be drawn:

  1. Collaboration is Key: The success of the EDHE program highlights the importance of partnerships and collaborations between various stakeholders, including government bodies, educational institutions, and the private sector.
  2. Curriculum Integration: It is crucial to integrate entrepreneurship education into the curriculum across various disciplines, not just business studies, to foster an entrepreneurial mindset among a broader student base.
  3. Experiential Learning: The application of experiential learning theory demonstrates that practical, hands-on experiences, such as mentorship programs, competitions, and industrial tours, are essential for effective skill acquisition in entrepreneurship.
  4. Addressing Economic Realities: Educational content must be relevant and aligned with the economic realities of the country to ensure that graduates are both employable and equipped to start their own businesses.
  5. University Support is Crucial: The support of universities, through the provision of resources, policy development, and dedicated entrepreneurship centers, is fundamental to nurturing enterprising students and addressing unemployment.
  6. Focus on the Entire Ecosystem: A comprehensive approach that considers all components of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, including policy, curriculum development, educator role evolution, and funding, is necessary for the program's success.
  7. Monitoring and Evaluation: Ongoing assessment of the program’s impact, as seen with the Entrepreneurship Intervarsity competition and other events, helps to understand its effectiveness and areas for improvement.
  8. Policy and Practice Frameworks: A solid theoretical framework that supports skill acquisition through experience and addresses the inadequacies of previous systems is necessary for a successful entrepreneurship education program.

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom