Luther Varsity in Southern Africa
A Place of Academic and Professional Excellence
PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION
Purpose:
The purpose of the Qualification is to develop the appropriate skills and knowledge required by a person for the establishment and development of a small to medium business venture, and address the economic, administrative and behavioural (psycho-social) barriers that contribute to success in starting and sustaining the venture.
This qualification is intended for persons who wish to start, operate, manage and grow a new small to medium business venture. Students attempting this qualification will be equipped with a variety of technical, business managerial and personal skills and strategies to help them succeed in the creation and sustenance of a business. The successful student will develop a sound foundation for the application of these skills and knowledge to explore a diverse range of entrepreneurial opportunities.
Recipients of this qualification will be able to:
- Demonstrate an ability to identify and create a new venture.
- Demonstrate knowledge of interpersonal skills required in a business environment.
- Demonstrate an understanding of basic economics within a market economy.
- Manage a new venture by applying business principles and techniques.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the role of leadership and management.
Rationale:
This Qualification will meet the needs of the formal and in-formal Small, Micro and Medium Enterprise Sector by providing training standards against which entrepreneurs can be trained. This Qualification meets the needs of society by, primarily, providing persons who are able to apply the fairly complex knowledge and skills required to be an entrepreneur and thus contribute to the economic upliftment of themselves, their community and thereby the nation as a whole. Alternatively, this Qualification is also attractive to persons who have not received formal training in this Sector but who are already managing and/or are working as employees within an established Small, Micro and Medium Enterprise business.
This Qualification contributes to an integrated National Qualifications Framework; provides for access, mobility and progression within the Small, Micro and Medium Enterprise Sector; enhances the quality of training for entrepreneurs; allows for the redress of past and contributes to the development of the student entrepreneurs.
The majority of the students attempting this qualification are likely to be unemployed persons who, via a studentship, have been identified and selected as having the potential to create a new business venture. With this Qualification and the established of a Small, Micro and Medium Enterprise provides the student access to further learning opportunities at NQF Level 5 in Business Consulting Practice and Business Advising.
LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING
- It is assumed that the student has the following knowledge and skills:
- Communication at NQF Level 3.
- Mathematical Literacy at NQF Level 3.
Recognition of Prior Learning:
This Qualification makes the Recognition of Prior Learning possible, if the student is able to demonstrate competence in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in this Marketing Qualification. Recognition of Prior Learning will be done by means of an Integrated Assessment as mentioned in the previous paragraph.
This Recognition of Prior Learning may allow:
- For accelerated access to further learning.
- Gaining of credits towards a unit standard.
- For full or partial recognition of the Qualification.
All recognition of Prior Learning is subject to quality assurance by the relevant accredited Education, Training, Quality, and Assurance Body and is conducted by a registered workplace assessor. Because the standards are only core and fundamental, these standards may have been acquired in a range of economic sectors and these will be recognized as appropriate.
Access to the Qualification:
There is an open access to this qualification, keeping in mind the “Learning Assumed to be in Place”.
QUALIFICATION RULES
The Qualification consists of a Fundamental, a Core and an Elective Component.
To be awarded the Qualification students are required to obtain a minimum of 149 credits as detailed below.
Fundamental Component:
The Fundamental Component consists of Unit Standards in:
- Mathematical Literacy at NQF Level 4 to the value of 16 credits.
- Communication at NQF Level 4 in a First South African Language to the value of 20 credits.
- Communication in a Second South African Language at NQF Level 3 to the value of 20 credits.
It is compulsory therefore for students to do Communication in two different South African languages, one at NQF Level 4 and the other at NQF Level 3.
All Unit Standards in the Fundamental Component are compulsory.
Core Component:
The Core Component consists of Unit Standards to the value of 82 credits all of which are compulsory.
Elective Component:
The Elective Component consists of individual unit standards from which the student must choose unit standards totalling a minimum of 11 credits.
EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES
1. Demonstrate an ability to identify and create a new venture.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of interpersonal skills required in a business environment.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of basic economics within a market economy.
4. Manage a new venture by applying business principles and techniques.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of leadership and management.
| ID | UNIT STANDARD TITLE | NQF LEVEL | CREDITS |
Core | Apply innovative thinking to the development of a small business | 4 | 4 | |
Core | Apply the principles of costing and pricing to a business venture | 4 | 6 | |
Core | Demonstrate an understanding of an entrepreneurial profile | 4 | 5 | |
Core | Demonstrate an understanding of the function of the market mechanisms in a new venture | 4 | 5 | |
Core | Explain and apply the concept, principles and theories of motivation in a leadership context | 4 | 6 | |
Core | Finance a new venture | 4 | 5 | |
Core | Implement an action plan for a new venture | 4 | 4 | |
Core | Manage finances of a new venture | 4 | 6 | |
Core | Manage general administration | 4 | 4 | |
Core | Negotiate an agreement or deal in an authentic work situation | 4 | 5 | |
Core | Plan and manage production/operations in a new venture | 4 | 6 | |
Core | Plan strategically to improve new venture performance | 4 | 4 | |
Core | Produce business plans for a new venture | 4 | 8 | |
Core | Research the viability of new venture ideas/opportunities | 4 | 5 | |
Core | Implement and manage human resource and labour relations policies and acts | 5 | 9 | |
Fundamental | Accommodate audience and context needs in oral/signed communication | 3 | 5 | |
Fundamental | Interpret and use information from texts | 3 | 5 | |
Fundamental | Use language and communication in occupational learning programmes | 3 | 5 | |
Fundamental | Write/present/sign texts for a range of communicative contexts | 3 | 5 | |
Fundamental | Apply knowledge of statistics and probability to critically interrogate and effectively communicate findings on life related problems | 4 | 6 | |
Fundamental | Engage in sustained oral/signed communication and evaluate spoken/signed texts | 4 | 5 | |
Fundamental | Read/view, analyse and respond to a variety of texts | 4 | 5 | |
Fundamental | Represent analyse and calculate shape and motion in 2-and 3-dimensional space in different contexts | 4 | 4 | |
Fundamental | Use language and communication in occupational learning programmes | 4 | 5 | |
Fundamental | Use mathematics to investigate and monitor the financial aspects of personal, business, national and international issues | 4 | 6 | |
Fundamental | Write/present/sign for a wide range of contexts | 4 | 5 | |
Elective | Administer contracts for a selected new venture | 3 | 10 | |
Elective | Apply basic computer technology | 3 | 11 | |
Elective | Apply knowledge of self and team in order to develop a plan to enhance team performance | 3 | 5 | |
Elective | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS in a workplace, and its effects on a business sub-sector, own organisation and a specific workplace | 3 | 4 | |
Elective | Foster and maintain customer relations | 3 | 10 | |
Elective | Apply administrative skills and knowledge in a sport organisation | 4 | 11 | |
Elective | Apply the concept and principles of knowledge management to leadership | 4 | 8 | |
Elective | Apply values and ethics to a sport organisation | 4 | 3 | |
Elective | Conduct international market research | 4 | 6 | |
Elective | Create, improvise and organize sport activities | 4 | 6 | |
Elective | Demonstrate basic understanding of the Primary labour legislation that impacts on a business unit | 4 | 8 | |
Elective | Demonstrate knowledge and application of ethical conduct in a business environment | 4 | 4 | |
Elective | Describe and apply the management of stock and fixed assets in a business unit | 4 | 2 | |
Elective | Interpret basic financial statements | 4 | 4 | |
Elective | Lead a community sport activity | 4 | 12 | |
Elective | Motivate and Build a Team | 4 | 10 | |
Elective | Promote sport activity in a community | 4 | 4 | |
Elective | Tender to secure business for a new venture | 4 | 5 | |
Elective | Explain marketing for SMMEs | 5 | 6 |
Source: South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)