iLeadLAB bridges the gap between education and the demands of the 21st century workplace
Durban, November 30th 2018 –REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL, one of the leading providers of business and management education in South Africa and a member institution of Honoris United Universities, the first pan-African private higher education network, announces the opening of iLeadLAB – a new ‘Employability Unit’. RBS has unveiled its new initiative aimed at empowering young people with core skills and competencies to creatively bridge the gap between education and the demands of the 21st century workplace. iLeadLAB, the Employability Unit at REGENT Business School, the brainchild of the institute’s Managing Director, Dr Ahmed Shaikh is a direct response to the accelerated pace of technological transformation and labour market disruption.
Gone are the days of copy-paste employment and training strategies. Global business requires dynamic, qualified individuals who are in sync with the demands of a rapidly-changing digital workforce. The new upskill is multi-skilling and our Employability Centre helps turn students into innovators and entrepreneurs to be reckoned with, explains Shaikh.
Commenting, CEO of Honoris United Universities, Luis Lopez, said, “Nurturing the talents of our students and alumni is central to empowering the next African generations of local, regional and international leaders. We believe in creating strong learning environments that include a pragmatic focus on core employability competencies – this is how we intend to create a rich academic experience and prepare graduates for life in the fast-paced, highly interconnected business world of today and tomorrow.”
Shaikh points out that corporates are increasingly looking for high-performance individuals who will pack a powerful punch within their internal business culture and external stakeholder-engagement environments. “With businesses around the world using more technology to simplify or amplify operations, the pressure is on for employees to evolve too. Today, the ideal workforce is made up of individuals who have exemplary inter- and intra-personal skills and tools such as empathy, a collaborative mindset, effective communication and the ability to solve problems creatively and can boldly innovate. Employers today are looking for talent with unique human abilities; well-rounded individuals who use their creativity and imagination and who are comfortable in technologically-evolving spaces. The new Employability Centre plugs into this demand but providing these necessary skills and knowledge.”
To this end, a group of REGENT Business School students have been selected for a pioneering 10-day bootcamp at the Employability Unit’s iLeadLAB. In addition to being taught how to flex their critical and creative thinking muscles to thrive in dynamic world markets, the students were exposed to a wide variety of skills and experiences that included hands-on training in the art of successful communication, information literacy, global citizenship, use of art and creativity for problem-solving competency, digital literacy and exposure to 3D printing and a range of technology relevant to Industry 4.0.
