PROFILE Univen
PROFILE Univen Innovative Growth Company UIGC provides the University of Venda with an independent stream of income. The Univen Innovative Growth Company (UIGC) Pty (Ltd) is a company solely owned by the University of Venda. The company has a robust database of professional consultants and trainers who, respectively, provide quality services at competitive rates and offer accredited short courses. • UIGC GarCle has been providing independent cleaning and maintenance services since 2017. Vision To contribute to the field of skills development for South Africa and beyond and to be a sustainable third-stream income for the University of Venda. Mission To offer critical client-based services through short skills programmes, consultancy and commercial ventures in a financially viable and sustainable manner in pursuance of university strategic objectives. Mandate UIGC is tasked with the responsibility to generate third-stream income through the units. The UIGC units are: • Univen Commercial Unit. • Univen Consultancy Unit. • Editing and Proofreading Unit (EPU). • Statistics and Research Design Unit. • Univen Centre for Continuing Education (UCCE). In addition, the Univen Store sells university-related clothing such as golf shirts and caps, there are programmes covering animal production and farm equipment and five subsidiary companies operate under the UGIC banner. The companies are: • UIGC Securities, a security company registered with PSIRA. After the university terminated the contract with the private security company which was rendering security services, they partially insourced all security staff members to UIGC in 2016. • The UIGC Travel Agency started operating in 2017. It comprises two travel consultants and a general manager who provide services to Univen staff, government employees as well as the general public. • Tshakhuma Barotta UIGC Farm was launched in 2016 as a partnership between UIGC and the community with 49 fulltime employees. Due to the successful revitalisation of the farm, the Tshakhuma Community Trust has agreed to UIGC increasing its shareholding. • UIGC Mining: a partnership created the Duisend-UIGC Mining Consortium (DUMC) which processes and crushes aggregates from the mining of waste rock at Sibanye Stillwater’s Baobab Platinum Mine in the Lebowakgomo area. ■ Contact details Address: Univen Innovative Growth Company (UIGC), University Road, Thohoyandou, Limpopo Province, 0950 Email: info@uigc.co.za | Tel: +27 15 962 8761 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2020/21 28
Leadership and management training are key functions of the UIGC FOCUS The Univen Innovative Growth Company earns revenue while building local capacity. One of the most important functions of the Univen Innovative Growth Company is to offer short courses and training. This not only passes on skills and helps local people who might not have had access to education in the past, it earns money for the institution which can then be deployed to help students in need. The training function is currently among the best revenue earners in the UIGC stable, with popular courses being offered and taken up by adults keen to improve their qualifications. The training division has also attracted funding from the private and public sectors. The local municipality has taken advantage of training courses in finance for non-finance managers, integrated development planning (IDP) and Local Economic Development (LED). UIGC venues are used as training sites for students from both the University of Venda and Vhembe TVET College. Profits generated from UIGC enterprises are ploughed back to help fund students attending the university, with an emphasis on assisting those in the “missing middle”. A sum of R8-million was contributed by UIGC in 2016 towards this cause. A large number of courses are offered by UGIC in a wide range of spheres, including local government and environmental management. Courses include: • Public Service and Administration By way of example, this popular course includes units such as the Municipal Finance Management Programme, Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Processes, Local Government Citizen Participation, Local Government Legislative Framework, Local Government Ethics, Values and Integrity, Community Development, Local Economic Development, Policy Management, Implementation and Analysis in the Public Sector and Public Financial Management. • General Management and Responsible Leadership. • Certificate for end-user computing. • Environmental Management. • Integrated Waste Management. • Envirotrac (Environmental Manager’s Certificate of Competency). • Catchment Management Strategy. • Safety Management courses. • Strategic Management. • Supervisory course. • Research Methodology. • Supply Chain and Logistics. • Business Management and Entrepreneurship. • Education and Teacher Development. ■ Contact details Contact: Dr John Mudau, Chief Executive Officer Email: John.mudau@univen.ac.za Khathutshelo Ligege, Personal Assistant to CEO Tel: + 27 15 962 8754 / 61 Email: Khathutshelo.ligege@univen.ac.za 29 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2020/21
