Image Details: (From Left to Right)- Rt Hon Baroness Scotland and the Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Training, Mr Mduduzi Manana.
The British Council is excited to announce the establishment of the Leadership Exchange Programme (LEP). The LEP was officially launched at the SA-UK Education Forum which took place in Pretoria on the 11th of September 2014. Attendees included the Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Training, Mr. Mduduzi Manana and the UK Prime Minister’s Special Trade Envoy to South Africa Baroness Scotland.
The Leadership Exchange Programme (LEP), which falls under British Council’s Skills for Employability (SfE) programme, is one of the initiatives designed to enhance well-functioning colleges. LEP does this through an exchange programme between Senior Managers including Principals of TVET Colleges in South Africa and UK. This programme is similar to the Tirisano project which the British Council ran in South Africa between 2001 and 2004.
The LEP will target a total of twenty Principals or Senior Managers of TVET Colleges between the two countries. Ten of which will be from the already existing five SA/UK International Skills Partnerships (ISP) under the Skills for Employability project namely; Gert Sibande/ Highbury College, Orbit/ Harrow College, Sedibeng College/ Harrow College, Northlink College/ Coleg Gwent and Eastcape Midlands College/ Walsall College. An additional ten will be drawn from a new pool of SA and UK TVET colleges outside the ISP.
This will facilitate learning from one another, sharing of knowledge, ideas and best practice between the two countries. Through this programme, leaders will be empowered to be more critical, and innovative around the holistic management and future development of their institutions. The exchange programme aligns with existing policies, strategies and initiatives led by the Department for Higher Education and Training (DHET) speaking specifically to commitment eight of the National Skills Accord.
The British Council South Africa Country Director, Colm McGivern said;
“The Leadership Exchange Programme supports the SA Government’s National Skills Accord in improving the performance of TVET colleges. The British Council believes that by developing the top leaders in SA’s TVET sector we can support colleges to produce more employable graduates”.
Drawing on British Council’s Skills for Employability programme to enhance employability; the LEP realizes that the success of TVET Colleges is largely dependent on effective and quality leadership. It further acknowledges that, although South Africa has made great strides in promoting gender equality, there is still more work to be done at the Senior Management level. In view of this, the exchange programme seeks to attract females in leadership; over and above the existing leadership structures in TVET Colleges. All public TVET Colleges in South Africa are eligible to apply for this programme.
For further inquiries please contact the British Council
Telephone: +27 (0) 11 560 9300