The Amaqhawe Learning Collective at the UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB), in partnership with the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Silulo Ulutho Technologies have just completed a two month computer literacy course.
Amaqhawe is a co-created learning environment composed of Marriott's Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge and Bertha Centre staff based at the GSB. It flourished from us greeting each other daily in the business school's corridors and offices and, as it happens with people who share a space, the greetings developed into getting to know each other better. Through these connections we shared our aspirations and the seeds of the Amaqhawe Learning Collective were planted.
We began to explore: (1) education; how it could be delivered, for whom and for what purpose, and (2) inclusive sustainable educational opportunities led and owned by members of the group.
After a series of conversations, computer literacy emerged as a priority for the group. In 2016, Amaqhawe ran its first pilot computer literacy programme at GSB. The Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development offered access to their computer lab one afternoon a week, the UCT IT department provided login access, and RLABS provided trainers. 12 men and women from Marriott's Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge attended the weekly training to earn computer competency certificates at a ceremony held in the GSB quad.
At the beginning of 2017, Luvuyo Rani of Silulo Technologies upped the stakes by opening up his Philippi Village laboratory to Amaqhawe and providing a computer trainer. For two months, seven Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge staff members attended classes five days a week. When one of the Collective was unable to attend classes due to high transport costs, the Collective crowdfunded among Bertha networks. Through this support, the Collective was able to continue attending class together, ensuring that everyone stayed on track and graduated on time. This week, the first cohort graduated from the Silulo end-user computer literacy program, and Silulo Ulutho Technologies are keen to formalise a partnership.
Top left to right: Noluvuyo Booi, Diana Mndzalo, Nonzukiso Gwe, Nomsindisi Nkqankase
Bottom left to right: Buyiselwa Mnyani, Nodumo Mvinjelwa, Nontle Haseni, Luvuyo Rani
The journey over the last year, culminating in this milestone, has yielded positive outcomes that go beyond the computer screen and the classroom. But the invitation to be inclusive and agentic in our pursuit of contributing to the academic project is far from over. In fact, Amaqhawe Learning Collective is just getting started: currently 10 more Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge staff have committed to be the next cohort to attend and graduate from Silulo. If you want to know what comes after that, then keep watching this space.
