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CoachLab launched

3 August 2009

INFORMATION and communication technology (ICT) post-graduate students now have an opportunity to sharpen their skills in a nine-month programme aimed at instilling business principles and encouraging innovative thinking.
CoachLab@JCSE was launched at the University of the Witwatersrand on 28 July. It is a collaboration between the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) at Wits and the University of Johannesburg, The Innovation Hub, and industry sponsors, Microsoft and Barone, Budge and Dominick.
"The Joburg Centre for Software Engineering was established in 2005 as a joint venture between Wits University and the City's economic development department," said Prof Barry Dwolatzky, the centre's director.
The CoachLab programme started in March and will run until November.
Applications for next year are already open.
"There are six students participating in the programme but we would like to have at least 20 next year," said Caroline Kruger, the JCSE's marketing manager.
It encourages innovative and entrepreneurial thinking among ICT post-graduate students. It aims to identify leadership potential, accelerate leadership development and make the students aware of the value of innovative thinking in business.
"The CoachLab initiative helps us meet this goal by providing participating students with an opportunity to undertake post-graduate studies as well as project-based training, business development and soft skills training," said Dwolatzky.
The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the individual students, and includes soft skills such as report writing, conflict resolution, decision making and developing presentations.
"Students receive coaching from an industrial psychologist, who assists them in balancing the pressures of academic and CoachLab demands while providing the tools they need to perform in a leadership role," said Patricia Dlamini, from entrepreneurship and leadership development at The Innovation Hub.
This project will also assist in closing the gap between information technology and business as well as the gap between the academic world and the world of work.
"The curriculum gives the students a fair understanding of the business implications of information technology [IT] investments and the value IT brings to business. They learn to appreciate that IT does not operate in isolation of the business," said Carl Marnewick, the head of the business IT department at the University of Johannesburg.
"In South Africa today, students who study technology enter the workplace too soon after their basic degree. We have a dire need for higher skilled workers and are struggling to get technology students to PhD level," said David Ives, the head of Microsoft South Africa's developer and platform group.
The success of this initiative would not only depend on the curriculum, the commitment of the students or just money, but would also need companies to invest time and personnel, said Peter Scheffel, an executive at Barone, Budge and Dominick.
The launch, hosted by Wits' vice-chancellor and principal, Prof Loyiso Nongxa, included a number of speakers, such as Microsoft's managing director, Mteto Nyati; Ralf Dominick, the managing director of Barone, Budge and Dominick; the dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Johannesburg, Tshilidzi Marwala; Jason Ngobeni, executive director of economic development for the City of Johannesburg; Oupa Mopaki, the chief executive of the ISETT seta; Tsietsi Maleho, the acting chief executive of The Innovation Hub; and Dwolatzky, the JCSE director.
Applications for next year are open; interested students can call 011 717 6390 or email marketing@jcse.org.za. Any company wishing to get involved with CoachLab@JCSE for 2010 should contact Caroline Kruger at the JCSE on 011 717
6390 or email caroline@JCSE.org.za.