Bright Minds, Bright Future
Leadership|April 2020
For the economy to grow, businesses need graduates whose skills match their needs. Producing these graduates is the core focus of Stefan Ferreira, CEO of the Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology.
Stefan Ferreira
Bright Minds, Bright Future

Studying simply for the sake of studying can lead graduates down the blind alley of being jobless with a degree. Instead, Ferreira and his national team of academics and campus managers strive to mould graduates capable of entering the workplace and making a contribution from the outset.

Formerly PC Training and Business College, Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology turns 30 this year. With some 20 000 students receiving vocational education at campuses throughout South Africa, including Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Pretoria as well as smaller towns like Ladysmith and Richards Bay, the Institute maintains a strong focus on information technology education and training. The Institute is majority-owned by Ninety One (formerly Investec Private Equity), which also owns the AAA School of Advertising.

As Richfield moves into the future, it’s essential to remain agile and focused. For this reason, Richfield hosts curriculum design innovation forums where top academics gather to ensure the Institute’s study programmes remain on the cusp of the latest technological and educational advances.

“It is a very entrepreneurial culture so that means we can pivot and adapt a lot more quickly than others with the rate the world is changing and especially in the IT space,” says Ferreira.

“We have support from the best academics around the country. We get them together a few times every year to evaluate our courses and develop new courses. It’s kind of a superpower —the best in the industry are working with us to ensure we are at the top of our game and that we continue to provide the best quality education,” he adds.

This story is from the April 2020 edition of Leadership.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 2020 edition of Leadership.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM LEADERSHIPView All
Bright Minds, Bright Future
Leadership

Bright Minds, Bright Future

For the economy to grow, businesses need graduates whose skills match their needs. Producing these graduates is the core focus of Stefan Ferreira, CEO of the Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology.

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2020
Safety In Business
Leadership

Safety In Business

Securing the future is essential

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
Artificial Intelligence
Leadership

Artificial Intelligence

Is artificial intelligence reinventing insurance? This was the question posed by Bill Hoggarth, national sales manager, Digital Business Solutions at high performing and secure ICT solutions provider, Datacentrix. He was speaking at the recent Robotics, Drones and AI in Insurance Conference, held in Rosebank, Johannesburg. In answer to the question, Hoggarth clarified that no, he did not believe artificial intelligence (AI) was changing the nature of insurance–at least, not on its own. “My view is that AI is not reinventing insurance, but that it is part of the mix of technologies that is causing a shift in insurance today,” he said.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2020
Leading The Future
Leadership

Leading The Future

Leading the modern world requires fast thinking and an impulsive ability to adopt and adapt to the technologically driven era. The way we conduct business today has drastically changed from the way business was conducted ten years ago, failing to integrate innovation and technology could prove fatal to any business.

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2020
The Evolution Of The IT Operation
Leadership

The Evolution Of The IT Operation

Consistency in delivery is key

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
Empowering Our Future
Leadership

Empowering Our Future

More than half (51%) of youth aged 18–24 years claim they do not have the financial means to pay for their tertiary tuition. That is over 1.4 million youths who will never be able to afford to take their education further and thereby increase their opportunities to progress in their careers and lives. This is the sad reality according to the Higher Education and Skills in South Africa report released by Statistics South Africa in March 2019.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2020
Air Traffic Navigation Services: Flying High Into The Future
Leadership

Air Traffic Navigation Services: Flying High Into The Future

After an exceptional 2018/2019 financial year, Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) is poised to soar even further, as it builds on an exceptional record and heads into the next phase of its development

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2020
Leadership

Entrepreneurs Hit Hard By Coronavirus

The big challenge

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
Use The Covid-19 Lockdown To Think Differently
Leadership

Use The Covid-19 Lockdown To Think Differently

Crowdfunding, delivery of food, hygiene and learning packs, and psychosocial support could #changethestory

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
Attractive Production Tax Credits
Leadership

Attractive Production Tax Credits

“We wouldn’t do it without the production tax credit we get.” That’s what Warren Buffett said about his holding company Berkshire Hathaway’s US$30 billion investment in wind turbines and infrastructure in the State of Iowa through one of its companies, Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE)

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2020