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Connecting the benefits gained from internationalisation in education with enterprises to support the achievement of the NDP goals
important policy frameworks & guiding principles
Firstly, CPUT is committed to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the concomitant SADC strategic imperatives driving southern Africa. This is an important consideration and strategic direction for CPUT.
African Agenda 2063
The African Agenda 2063 is a strategic framework, developed by the African Union, for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years. It builds on, and seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing continental initiatives for growth and sustainable development. In its focus on African citizenry, some of the key areas for growth include integrated high speed train network, Africa virtual and e-university, African commodity strategy, continental free trade area, African outer space strategy, single air-transport network, and continental financial institutions.
The National Development Plan 2030 (NDP 2030)
The NDP provides a strategic framework for South Africa’s development by defining a desired destination and identifying the role different sectors of society need to play in reaching that goal up to 2030. It highlights socioeconomic and infrastructure activities, like poverty and inequality reduction, healthcare, transport, efficient energy and densification of cities. The Plan outlines the three key functions of HE as: Provision of high-level skills, dominant producer of new knowledge, and the provision of opportunities for social mobility. It acknowledges an understanding of the importance of HE in leading and shaping the future of modern nations of science and technology, and sees HE as the major driver of knowledge creation and distribution to achieve economic development.
In terms of internationalisation and strategic partnerships, the NDP acknowledges that the 75% university staff with PhD requirement require a special skills work permit to augment our capacity from outside the country, and that, obtaining a PhD outside the country in lieu of our capacity constraints, is supported. Indeed, the NDP supports internationalisation activities in order to reach HE outcomes.
DHET Framework on Internationalisation
In its endeavour to provide a more formalised view of internationalisation across the South African HE landscape, the DHET Internationalisation Framework allows univer-sities choices of value of their partnerships and interna-tionalisation activities. This is in order to develop strategic alliances aimed at enhanced bilateral, multilateral and regional cooperation in HE. The goals are relevant to CPUT. For example:
To enhance the reputation, quality and relevance of CPUT To enhance CPUT’s international research collaboration To better equip CPUT students and staff members with knowledge, skills and attitudes, including intercultural skills To attract talented and highly qualified people to CPUT To open up CPUT to novice and experienced researchers, academics and support staff
We agree that internationalisation activities should add value to the CPUT environment from both a financial and a non-financial perspective. Indeed, there are significant sustainability imperatives to internationalisation that are linked to our research agenda (through the research focus areas) on top of the financial sustainability through capacity building and other initiatives.In brief, these frameworks contribute to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the consequent capacity requirements and skilling required for such a different world of work.
vision & mission
CPUT’s Vision 2030 follows on its Vision 2020 that formed the baseline of its strategy. Developed in 2014, Vision 2020 expressed the CPUT vision:
At CPUT, one of the ten design components of Vision 2030 is the significant value (in monetary and non-monetary terms) of internationalisation, thus leading to a stronger emphasis on this important strategic goal. Vision 2030 is directed towards oneness and smartness in support of the university’s pillars of Smart T&L, Smart RTI and Smart Engagement. This, the University achieves through its operational excellence (referred to in Vision 2030 as Smart Operations), stakeholder intimacy and product leadership initiatives in ONE SMART CPUT. The role of internationalisation in achieving all three is obvious.
Operational excellence:
The focus is on achieving operational excellence in processes and systems in order to operate and compete in the international arena. By operational excellence, we mean a culture of efficient and effective smart technologyenabled processes, people and systems in support of the total student experience.
Stakeholder intimacy:
Stakeholder intimacy aims to explore and develop partnerships for CPUT that have strategic value. This is important for smart internationalisation, as CPUT needs to develop smart mechanisms to determine the extent, level and duration of partnerships in respect of intra-nationalisation and internationalisation. We define stakeholder intimacy as a culture of understanding, building and maintaining relationships internally and externally in support of the total student experience. To this end, partnerships need to be assessed and managed to ensure value to CPUT and mutuality in the partnership or network.
Product leadership:
In its product leadership, the quality of the partnership outcomes is important in order to ensure competitive advantage for CPUT. We see product leadership as a culture of delivering value through development, and offering leading edge products and services in support of the total student experience.
