For organisations to thrive in a world transformed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) they need leaders who can flourish despite the new demands and expectations, REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL is committed to ensuring South Africa’s leaders are up to the challenge.
The concept of 4IR is used to explain how the boundaries between the physical, digital and biological worlds have blurred; advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other technologies have fused, and tomorrow’s leaders must have the skills to cope in tomorrow’s world.
“The 21st century has introduced a range of interconnected global challenges and changes, including poverty, inequality, social injustice, climate change, globalisation, socio-political crises, unemployment, food insecurity, the digital era and the major technological disruptions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR),” says Dr Ridwaan Asvat, the custodian of REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL’s iLeadLAB.
The iLeadLAB’s 4IR provides students with work-ready skills and prepares them to be leaders in the ever-changing business landscape. The iLeadLAB covers vital 21st century skills and provides clear explanations of all the 4IR terminology, while also spending time on improving important soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, resilience, critical thinking, and creativity.
Small businesses, which can drive much-needed growth in the South African economy, can also benefit from REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL’s 21st century learning. The redHUB’s SMME programmes deliver current and relevant content to attendees. “Entrepreneurs are ‘do now’ people by nature and our just-in-time training caters for that,” says Asvat.
REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL is also ensuring that young people who may be taking a gap year or have not yet been placed at university get up to speed with 4IR. C21 Bootcamps will be held at REGENT’s Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban offices from the 21st-25th February
“This is a skills programme with the focus on introducing students to 4IR. It is an opportunity to introduce students to the whole new world of 4IR. It is not online but hands-on and gives students a chance to learn about social media; robotics and coding; 3D printing; and laser cutting. We have our iLeadLAB, where we do laser cutting and 3D printing, among other things, so if students fall in love with it in the bootcamp, they can take it further,” says Lucky Mkhize, business development programmes coordinator at REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL.
4IR’s focus on technology, along with the changes brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, make hybrid or blended learning vital. REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL is a distance learning facility that offers flexible remote learning solutions, allowing students to get the best of both the online and in class worlds – a rich offering of the two learning and teaching solutions.
“REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL’s approach to creativity and entrepreneurship is evident in the way we teach, which has made the school an innovation leader in the tertiary education space as well as a leading business school,” says REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL MD Dr Ahmed Shaikh.
REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL is hosting C21 bootcamps at their Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban offices from the 21st-25th February. The cost of the course is R2500 and students that attend the five-day course will then have the opportunity to get a R2500 discount on full-time fees should they wish to register for a full-time course.