by Shuaib Masters supported by Hazra Masters and Paayal Morar in association with A PARTNER’S JOURNEY by Shuaib Masters supported by Hazra Masters and Paayal Morar

THE CONTEXT Small, family, entrepreneurial, growing…… Ownership legacy of several generations in education and training with successful management succession Inception in 1993 Strategic location in Harare’s CBD 21 years professional training 17 years UK MBA part-time postgraduate education Collaborative outsourcing flexible model

PROBLEMS create OPPORTUNITIES NTU announce exit from all global partnerships 2007 OLC ‘s platform of successful UK postgraduate education collaboration with NTU since 1995 2009 US dollarisation and Government of National Unity OLC’s access to Zimbabwe’s corporate, public and NGO sectors Directly & through executive alumni UoG’s interest in a unique, strong diverse partner

RISK MITIGATION OLC ownership background and reputation Legal framework and stakeholders Governance and QA UoG reputation OLC finances UoG finances Family competences and managerial depth Currency Z$ to US$ to £ Country risk – worst case scenarios

DUE DILIGENCE and COLLABORATION 2009 Reconnaisance visit by UoG Business School Meeting with acting Deputy VC and CP management Business Case PGCM, PGDM, MBA, MSc A&F 2010 IAV proposal followed by Panel visit The Agreement QA structure and processes implementation Sep 2010 Successful launch after intensive marketing drive Partnership control, coordination and collaboration Successful QA reports and Periodic Reviews QAA HER meeting

EVOLUTION Masters’ stage Franchise to Validation QA enhancement and development at UoG and OLC Infrastructural and organisational enhancement Soft – staff, style, shared values Hard – strategy, systems, structure Soft and Hard – skills Synergy – transferring skills, sharing resources and integrating activities Collaboration channel and process enhancement

A FEW CHALLENGES OVERCOME Transition from NTU to UoG Dubai and PGCERT FM Student access to online resources Transcripts Entry requirement contextualisation Financial arrangements Management changes at UoG Implementation of enhanced QA processes and procedures at both ends Transition to new validated programme

QUO VADIS? ZIMCHE (Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education) local QAA submission in September 2015 Regional Expansion mooted at the outset Zambia through Southern Acacia University Existing products new market Concentric diversification – distance learning and blended learning Research collaboration