1. POST-GRADUATE ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA: INTENSIFYING DEBATE Dr. Tumo Kele Senior Lecturer: TUT Business School 1

2. THE BIRTH OF BUSINESS SCHOOLS Tshwane University of Technology Business School Business Schools were first established in the 1850’s in Europe and Germany. In the United States it came in 1881 and in 1913 India had its Business School too. However, South Africa opened its Business School in 1949 at University of Pretoria with its MBA being offered on a part-time basis over two years. The main aim was to provide candidates with a post-graduate cross- disciplinary qualification to help in the implementation of complex changes. CHE report states that South African Business Schools offer a general MBA 2

3. Research shows that there is an increasing realisation of the difficulties that Engineering and Technology professionals face in clinching designs and business. o engineering and technology innovation is NOT just invention, but a process involving a steps from R&D, identification of opportunities and business growth (Schumpeter, 1939) o it requires the expertise of a different professionals: engineers, involved in invention; corporate experts, develop business models for commercialisation; attorneys for intellectual property protection. Therefore there is a need for integrated approach to educate student operating in this space, as outlined in the Department of Labour report. Demand for Engineering Management Education Tshwane University of Technology Business School 3

4. For example, business networking and value chain optimisation is enabled by engineers and technologists through the development of standardised business oriented packages. From the above statement it is evident that engineers and technologist are enablers of change in major industries. Therefore, capacitating them with other core business knowledge is essential. According to Martin (1995), engineers in corporate organisations should have skills enabling them to assess business potentials of IT, creating strategic visions, redesign business processes and change. However, South African MBA’s focus on traditional disciplinary knowledge like Marketing, Finance, Human Resources and so on. Why Engineering Management Education in South Africa? Tshwane University of Technology Business School 4

5. For the South African market, the programme should be offered on a part- time bases. The programme will be offered in the evenings during the week for approximately 2 years. Some core subjects: Strategic Management, Quantitative Financial Management, Risk Management, Management of Technology, Knowledge Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management & Information and e- commerce. Finally, mini-dissertation. Proposed Master of Technology Management programme structure 5

6. Tshwane University of Technology Business School 6 The is still an acute shortage of trained Technology managers in South Africa (University of Pretoria being the only one providing such programme) Business Schools in the country should set a pace fast-tracking the bridging of this acute management skill deficit. There should be a collaboration between Engineering Council of South Africa and public business schools. Conclusions

7. Tshwane University of Technology Business School Thank You