The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) partnered with these two prominent institutions to develop a standardised national Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Management Development Programme (MDP). The programme gives impetus to the institutionalisation of B-BBEE, within the economic system, and to professionalise the current B-BBEE industry.

This short learning programme at NQF Level 7, equips middle level managers with informative ways of becoming team players and achieving their goals within their relevant organizations. According to Unisa, the programme is designed to facilitate an understanding of and the ability to integrate and apply the key competencies required for each of the functional areas of business.

The requirements are that the MDP students must be managers, with at least three years’ managerial experience, who have been assigned by their companies for further development. The course will give the managers the knowledge and skills that are crucial in various key areas of business management.

The dti’s goal behind creating this programme is also to develop a national standardised knowledge base that capacitates the entire B-BBEE industry, which includes B-BBEE Consultants, B-BBEE Verifiers, Private and Public Sector Practitioners.

Applications, for the one-year course, opened 1 September 2011. You can register at Unisa or at www.bbbee.traininggateway.co.za

If you are interested in assigning managers from your organization for this course or require more information, please go to www.sblunisa.ac.za or www.dti.gov.za.