Below are academic programmes offered at Sol Plaatje University, South Africa
DIPLOMA IN RETAIL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
This course provides students with the knowledge, insight and skills needed to follow a successful management career in the retail or wholesale fields. Retail and wholesale businesses strive to satisfy the needs of consumers by providing the necessary products and services.
The retail industry offers national and international career opportunities for the graduate. The variety of retail and wholesale business is enormous and includes departmental stores, hypermarkets, shopping centres, speciality stores, general dealers, chain stores, supermarkets, factory stores, boutiques and restaurants.
Retail managers are generally required to work in teams and the programme therefore focuses on the development of professional communication skills which prepares students to work both independently and as part of a team. Strong emphasis is placed on problem solving and approaches to programmed management.
The retail industry is dynamic in nature and managers must remain aware of developments and continuously update their skills. The programme therefore focuses on developing the lifelong learning skills of students. Students are also exposed to uncompromising approaches in the ethical practice of this management discipline.
Graduates can choose from a wide variety of entry level positions, e.g. as a trainee manager or a position in buying, stock control, merchandising, sales, administration, logistics, housekeeping or the finance section of a retail business.
This qualification forms a base for further specialisation in fields such as buying, merchandising, store lay-out and merchandise planning.
Graduates who want to start their own businesses will benefit from the entrepreneurship component of this course.
THE BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (B Ed) IN SENIOR PHASE & FET TEACHING
The B Ed programme in Senior Phase and FET Teaching is specifically designed to prepare students for teaching in the South African schooling system. National imperatives such as the shortage of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology teachers were important considerations in the design and development of this programme. It is intended for students who would like to obtain a degree in Education, specialising in Mathematics, Natural Sciences or Technology, which would qualify them as professional educators for the Senior and Further Education and Training phases. This qualification is also suitable for expertise in education-related careers such as training officials.
The purpose of the B Ed degree is to provide a well-rounded education that will empower graduates with an integrated knowledge base enabling them to demonstrate competence, commitment and responsibility as academically and professionally qualified beginner teachers. The curriculum and the accompanying classroom practice is a “shaping force” of the students admitted to this university. The approach to teaching, learning development and assessment on this degree programme is strongly guided by the intellectual and professional attributes that our graduates need to develop in order to have a positive impact on the schooling needs of the diverse communities in our country.
The following aims will assist in exploring and fulfilling the purpose of the B Ed degree:
- provision of subject/discipline knowledge;
- provision of pedagogical content knowledge;
- fostering self-reflexivity and self-understanding to enable commitment to the highest level of professional work ethics;
- development of students as active citizens who will respond to and initiate change, and
- development of competences to organise learning among a wide range of learners in diverse contexts.
This programme targets potential students who have successfully completed Grade 12 with admission to degree studies and who want to teach one or more of the following subjects at school: Life Sciences; Geography; Technology; Engineering Graphics and Design.
Diploma in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Specialised in Applications Development
The pervasive use of computers has resulted in an ongoing need for a wide range of highly skilled human capacity in ICT disciplines. The field is subject to rapid technological changes and therefore requires professionals who are well-educated, who keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the field and who can engage future trends and developments in the field.
The purpose of this Diploma qualification is to provide a career-focussed, professional qualification featuring industry-referenced knowledge and skills transfer, technological competencies, critical cross-field skills as well as attitudinal development. The programme deals with the conceptualisation, design, development, implementation and testing of computer software applications to meet the enormous commercial and social demand for such products. Students are prepared for careers in Computer Programming and Systems Analysis & Design but will gain exposure to a wide range of related topics. The diploma graduate will be knowledgeable and competent in the discourse and practice of the ICT discipline and have specialist knowledge of the Applications Development sub-discipline of ICT. The curriculum features a range of professional and personal development initiatives relevant to the ICT industry and the promotion of lifelong learning skills. Qualifying students will therefore be proficient in the general discourse of ICT but have specialised knowledge and skills that are focussed on Applications Development. The programme is designed to promote initiative and responsibility in an academic and/or professional context to respond to the local, regional and national, community and industry needs.
Diploma graduates in ICT specialising in Applications Development are able to:
- Create and modify general computer applications software or specialised utility programs for stand-alone and distributed environments including the web environment,
- Analyse user needs and produce a suitable specification for a system, covering a medium sized business problem,
- Develop computer programs to demonstrate the ability to store, locate and retrieve information from different data sources, and
- Deploy a suitable, secure software solution based on a given scenario demonstrating an understanding of systems architectures.
ICT practitioners are generally required to collaborate in teams to accomplish a common goal by integrating personal initiative and group cooperation around ICT projects. The course therefore also focuses on the development of professional communication skills which prepares students to work both independently and as part of a team. Strong emphasis is placed on creative problem solving and structured project management approaches.
The dynamic nature of the ICT industry demands that practitioners remain aware of developments and continuously update their skills. Practitioners must be au fait with the best practices and benchmark standards of the ICT industry. The programme therefore focuses on developing the lifelong learning skills of students.
Security of information has become a key concern in the modern business environment. As future ICT practitioners, students will therefore be exposed to uncompromising approaches in the ethical practice of their profession.
Applicants to the Diploma in ICT qualification must have a Matric with reasonably strong First Language (and English) and Mathematics or Mathematics Literacy marks. It is highly recommended that applicants should also have Computer Applications Technology (CAT) or Information Technology (IT) as subjects in their Matric curriculum. The specific minimum admissions requirements are available from the SPU website.
An exciting career awaits those who successfully complete the Diploma in ICT specialised in Applications Development qualification. A world without ICT and software application is unimaginable! Applications Development manifests in every facet of life – mobile phone apps, ATMs & banking, mining, television, medical equipment, agriculture, finance & accounting, education, geographical information systems, film & video, motorcars and aeroplanes, toys, social media & the internet… The list is endless.
In South Africa and across the globe, ICT is regarded as a “scarce skill” and opportunity awaits those who have the right knowledge, skills and attitude. Good luck!