Increasing interest in private tertiary institutions

SUZANNE BELLING

“All degrees, whether conferred by a state university or an accredited college in South Africa, are subject to accreditation by the Council for Higher Education and must conform with its requirements,” said Natalie Rabson, marketing manager of Boston City Campus and Business College.

Boston was started 26 years ago under CEO Ari Katz and has grown exponentially to incorporate 46 branches nationally and internationally.

“We offer educational qualifications in higher education, including first degrees, post-graduate degrees, higher certificates, advanced certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas. All these are representative of the pinnacle of any academic journey,” said Katz.

Students can opt for degrees and diplomas in a variety of subjects including commerce, media, media operations, systems development, network systems, financial accounting, human resources, business management, event management, advertising, integrated communications practice and even a higher certificate in HIV/Aids counselling and management.

For those wishing to become involved in sport, there are sports management, coaching and administration modules.

Hospitality, tourism and event management are some of the diploma courses from which to choose.

Students may also study on a modular basis, while holding down jobs, if necessary.

Boston has its own media house which is housed in Sandton, Pretoria and Umhlanga for those interested in print or radio journalism, film, design, video production, broadcasting, advertising, animation or graphics.

Boston Media House has its own radio station, video production studios as well as animation and graphics studios. Many of the leading media personalities in South Africa have graduated from Boston Media House.

IT is a big focus. “The International IT assessment body, Comptia, has rated Boston as number one in Africa and third globally in terms of the throughput rate,” said Rabson. Boston is particularly proud of this achievement as this presents an international barometer relating to quality assurance standards within the IT arena.

A key factor is that degrees and diplomas are fully recognised internationally via the CHE accreditation.

Katz stressed the importance of students being able to choose a campus near their homes. This is in contrast to state universities, which involve commuting or staying in residence.

“When choosing a tertiary institution, students should consider the pass rate, personal touch and quality control,” said Katz.

Accreditation (renewable every five years) is on the same level as major universities as all degrees in South Africa are accredited by the Council for Higher Education while the institutions have to be registered with the Department of Higher Education.

Vega School, specialising in design, brand leadership and business, produces graduates who are able to design and create original strategic solutions for brand challenges in business and society.

“To this end, we constantly review our principles of healthy brand building and as a result recently published a revived take on ideology, including a proposed model for building meaningful brands,” said national marketing manager, Nicky Stanley.

Branches of Vega are in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.

The school offers diplomas, short courses, post-graduate and under-graduate degrees and higher certification, with the emphasis on those opting for a creative career.

“It is an alternative to public universities,” Stanley told SA Jewish Report.

Vega is a brand of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE). The IIE is South Africa’s largest private higher education institution which operates across 20 campuses. The IIE is internationally accredited by The British Accreditation Council.

“Vega was formed in 1999 in anticipation of the shift in the global paradigm away from conventional marketing and advertising toward a synchronous cohesion of design, branding and business,” said Stanley. 

The World Economic Forum in 2016 revealed the findings of its study entitled The Ten Skills You Need to Thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The three skills topping this list are complex problem solving; critical thinking and creativity.

 “It is a core purpose at Vega to have our students graduate at an industry-ready level. “The high levels of academic pursuit are immediately put into practical use as Vega eschews the ‘ivory tower’ approach in favour of hands-on immediate application of theory.

“The stellar careers of many of our highly successful alumni are testament to the success of this methodology,” said Stanley.

 “Interaction with the top-tier professionals and academics of the Vega Advisory Council help keep curricula in line with the latest industry innovations. 

“A Vega student graduates with a deep understanding that the most effective strategy is inherently creative; the most effective creativity inherently strategic.” 

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