“The French Southern African Schneider Education Centre (F’SASEC) at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), in partnership with The Innovation Hub, hosted an Entrepreneurship Information Session at the Desmond Tutu Great Hall, inspiring more than 300 students and staff to develop innovative solutions to tackle unemployment in South Africa.”
02 March 2026 | Story by: Thomas Rasehloka | Picture by: Sifiso Nomzaza
2 minutes read time.
On 25 February 2026, the French Southern African Schneider Education Centre (F’SASEC) at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), in partnership with The Innovation Hub, hosted an Entrepreneurship Information Session at the Desmond Tutu Great Hall. The session targeted staff and students from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET).
The purpose of the session was to highlight the economic challenges faced by South Africa and to explore how students and staff can develop solutions through entrepreneurship.
Ms Bonakele Kunene, a presenter from The Innovation Hub, explained that the session aimed to encourage attendees to develop innovative solutions that could help address unemployment. “The intention is to show how one can create and commercialise a product. This programme helps attendees move away from a job seeking mentality,” Kunene said.
Entrepreneurship is the process of creating, developing and managing a new business venture to make a profit, usually by solving a problem or fulfilling a need in the market. Key elements of entrepreneurship include innovation, risk taking, opportunity recognition and value creation.
Mr Thokozani Mdluli, a beneficiary of the entrepreneurship workshops offered by The Innovation Hub, described entrepreneurship as “breaking away from societal norms and chasing your dreams while monetising them”.
Mr Mdluli studied Electrical Engineering at a TVET college and has been running his own business since 2021, assisting customers with domestic electrical appliances. “Anyone
can enter into entrepreneurship. You are your only limit, and those dreams are yours to chase,” he said.
The event recorded a positive turnout of more than 300 attendees, including both students and staff, at the Desmond Tutu Great Hall. Among the attendees was Mr Amon Chauke, an Electrical Engineering Electronics student at VUT, who currently co-owns two companies with a fellow VUT student. One of his businesses focuses on coding services, skills he developed through self-learning on YouTube.
“This session helped me network with students who are skilled in coding and will help grow my business,” Chauke said.
Ms Welile Nyembe, F’SASEC Coordinator, described the day as a success, noting that the main objective was achieved.
“The purpose of this session was to encourage students to sign up for the upcoming workshops that will be held later this year, and 25 students have already shown interest,” she said.
Ms Nyembe added that the programme is newly introduced and currently in its trial phase, making the interest shown by 25 students a strong and promising start.