South African Business 2017 edition

PROFILE

PROFILE Southern African Wildlife College Through conservation education and skills development the college contributes to the preservation of Africa's natural heritage. Southern Africa's network of parks and reserves is an important means of safeguarding the region's biological wealth. Whether parks are trans-frontier, state-run or privately owned, if managed well they are focal points for rural development and economic growth. As a result, adequate training and skills development programmes, such as those offered by the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC), are vital for the conservation of the continent’s rich biological diversity while also enabling the flow of benefits from protected areas to communities as part of the development of the wildlife economy. The cutting-edge, hands-on training offered covers a wide spectrum of skills needed by protected area managers and natural resource managers from Southern Africa. It involves those who are either already in the service of conservation and environmental agencies, as well as individuals starting their careers in the conservation field. An important facet of the College’s training is its Wildlife Guardian Programme, which is aimed at equipping field rangers with the necessary skills to help ensure the integrity of protected areas and counter the onslaught of poaching in the region. In addition, the College offers a host of certificate programmes, learnerships, skills programme and short courses aimed at up-skilling people and providing employment within the conservation sector. This is done through its four key training units, which include: Wildlife Area Management, Protected Area Integrity, Sustainable Use and Guiding as well as Community Development and Youth Access. The College’s business plan has also been developed in line with key elements of the National Development Plan and as such will contribute to the goals and objectives of the National Biodiversity Economy Development Strategy and targets of the Department of Envionmental Affairs’ Vision 2024. Projects developed in partnership with, and funded by, the Department of Environmental Affairs and the National Treasury’s Jobs Fund are indicative thereof. Since its inception, the College has trained more than 14 000 students from 26 countries in Africa, mostly from countries in the SADC region. Approximately 80% of the learners who have received training at the SAWC are still in wildlife management and many of its graduates have been promoted to more senior management positions. CONTACT INFO Tel: +27 15 793 7300 Email: info@sawc.org.za Website: www.wildlifecollege.org.za. SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2017 98

Improving skills in sustainable development INTERVIEW Theresa Sowry BIOGRAPHY CEO of the Southern African Wildlife College Theresa Sowry holds a Master of Science Degree in Botany from the University of the Witswatersrand. She gained experience in the conservation fi eld while working for SANParks on a rare antelope programme in the Kruger National Park. She went into conservation education when she joined the Southern African Wildlife College as Training Manager and Lecturer in Natural Resource Management. She was later promoted to Executive Manager: Training and was appointed as the college’s CEO in January 2011. Describe any changes that the College has experienced in recent years. Given that we are a non-profit training institution that does not receive any government subsidies, the College has become a lot more business focused in order to survive in a sector which traditionally has not been well funded. In line with the College’s new business plan, and with the introduction of our conservation-focused business units, I believe that the SAWC is playing a pivotal role in improving the skills and knowledge needed for sustainable development. Tell us about some of the highlights experienced. The major highlight is working with an amazing group of people, all dedicated and committed to conservation education, and having excellent relationships with our donors who play such a crucial role in the College's development. With the support of our partners, WWF-SA, Peace Parks Foundation and the Southern African Wildlife College Trust (SAWCT), the College has made great strides over the past few years. A personal highlight was long-term donor, the Tusk Trust, inviting me to Windsor Castle to celebrate their 25th anniversary. I was personally able to introduce the field-ranger training programme, which the Tusk Trust supports, to Prince William! A subsequent visit by Prince Harry to the College and his announcement of a partnership between the SAWC and United for Wildlife, via the Royal Foundation, definitely made it onto the 2016 highlights list! Are internship/job placements readily available for graduates of the College? Many of our learners are already employed in the field of conservation. However other SAWC training projects such as the National Treasury’s Jobs Fund project are aimed at training unemployed people from local communities and integrating them into the conservation sector by ensuring job placement after completion of their studies, which includes work-integrated learning. 99 SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2017