Marketing and Retail Business Management students exposed to industry.
Marketing and Retail Business Management students exposed to industry.
Students exposed to the industry
Studies reveal that learning is enhanced when students become involved outside of the classroom in a real-world environment that demonstrates concepts learned in lecture halls. Students find relevance of their lessons when they get exposed to organisational problem-based learning. Following the mandate from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to institutions of higher learning to embark on Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programmes that will deliver industry ready graduates, the Marketing and Sport Management department of VUT activated partnerships with corporate South Africa.
Thus 120 third-year Marketing and Retail Business Management students commenced their first-ever WIL experience with Henkel SA in Alrode, near Alberton.
Henkel hosted our students for a period of three weeks to learn from various departments and business sectors.
With the youth unemployment rate reaching dismal heights in 2019, the role of Henkel in partnership with VUT is to provide students with marketing/retailing-related experience based on past and present areas of the business.
Lecturer, Mr Lehlohonolo Masitenyane, says the main objective of this programme is to try to bridge the gap between university studies and industrial practical work, by exposing students to real-life business activities – so they can apply the theoretical knowledge gained over the past two years to date.