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MasterStart brings Coventry University online courses to Africa

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 23 Sept 2021

Coventry University Group and MasterStart have combined their teaching frameworks to offer a range of programmes aimed at improving access to education in a variety of in-demand topics such as digital marketing and data analytics.

By collaborating with Cape Town-based MasterStart, Coventry University will join some of Africa’s top providers of executive and business education, including the University of Stellenbosch Business School – Executive Development, University of Cape Town – Graduate Business School, and Gordon Institute of Business Science.

The four new micro-credentials, accredited by Coventry University, are the first of their kind in SA, as MasterStart expands its provision of courses. The seven-week online courses have an intake each month, and include Digital Marketing, High Impact Sales, Managing Diversity, and Inclusion and Data Analysis.

Ben Pike, MasterStart CEO, says the collaboration is a big step forward in his organisation’s mission of unlocking leadership potential across under-represented groups.

“Through partnerships like these between African and UK organisations we aim to tackle inequality through accessible, flexible, and industry-led qualifications with human connection at their heart.”

MasterStart says its educational model focuses on providing a humanised online learning experience where students can apply the course work to their real-world challenges. They can also learn from and with their peers, industry leaders and course faculty.

The collaboration follows the launch of Coventry University’s new Africa Hub in Rwanda in June this year, which will support academic collaborations such as this and provide organisations and individuals across Sub-Saharan Africa with regional access to the growing academic research and commercial expertise that exists within all areas of the Coventry University Group.

“We collaborate with more than 150 academic institutions across the globe as we believe that high-quality education should be accessible to all,” says Coventry University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Latham CBE. “We know there is a demand for high-quality online education in Africa and we look forward to being able to support MasterStart through these micro credentials.”

Emma Wade-Smith, trade commissioner for Africa at the UK Department for International Trade, says it’s encouraging to see educational innovators from the UK and SA work together to help bridge the skills gap and empower future African leaders.

“The launch of Coventry University Group and MasterStart’s online leadership courses in Africa is timely and essential. With the changing corporate landscape and economic challenges of COVID-19, providing upskilling initiatives such as these are key to unlock more job opportunities and open pathways to increase economic inclusion and sustainable growth,” says Wade-Smith.

Information on the courses can be found on the MasterStart website.

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