IN AN ATTEMPT to increase the success rate of South African start-up businesses, government in partnership with a Belgian college, have incorporated a learning programme valued at R3 million into two Further Education Training (FET) colleges in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN).

The learning programme is based on a Flemmish College learning programme which has been running in Belgium for the past six years.

The learning programme provides practical training on how to run a business and also helps business owners implement what they've learnt.

According to the rector at the Coastal KZN FET College, Wilson Nzimande, approximately 400 learners are set to undergo the entrepreneurship course which starts early next year.

“Coastal KZN and the Umgungundlovu FET College will each accommodate 200 learners whose tuition will be sponsored by the R2,4 million which is being donated by the Belgian government and the R600 000 which will be sponsored by the South African government,” says Nzimande.

Nzimande says the KZN Education Department especially singled out the Belgian entrepreneurship programme because of its huge success rate.

“Over the past six years the success rate for start-up businesses in Belgium have risen from 32% to 75% and we are hoping the programme will have the same effect on South African businesses,” says Nzimande.

He says the Belgian government have created legislation which states that entrepreneurs must undergo the entrepreneurship training before starting their own businesses and this is one of the main reasons for the increase in successful emerging businesses.

Guidelines for applicants include being an entrepreneur but lacking the competency to run a business, lacking a business idea or business owners who lack skills.

Business owners enrolling for the course can opt to do a full time course of six months or a part time course of 12 or 18 months, says Nzimande.

Currently the programme is still in a pilot phase which is set to run for three years after which the programme will be rolled out to other FET colleges across the country.

Nzimandes says the reason for choosing the Belgian college as a model for a South African programme is because the course has a balanced approach.

For example, business owners learn the theory and have to put it into practice. On completion of the course business owners will be able to competently manage a business.

They will also have access to financial institutions such as the Ithala Bank in KZN, be registered with the Company and Intellectual Property Registration Office (Cipro) and will also appear on various provincial databases.

Contact Coastal KZN FET College on 031 905 7000 and the Ungungundlovu FET College on 033 341 2000.