With record unemployment levels and high data costs creating a barrier to entry for many job seekers, South Africans need new ways to bring opportunities to the people and to connect people with potential employers.
A group of public-spirited researchers at REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL’S iLeadLab facility has developed a practical and innovative solution: the MAHALABox.
“Mahala” means “free” in isiZulu, and the MAHALABox lives up to its name. It provides free access to online resources such as recruitment agencies, job placements, and skills development tools like aptitude tests, CV templates, and downloadable books and videos … and all it takes is a smartphone – no data or internet access required!
“The MAHALABox is our way of bringing important skills and resources to students, the unemployed, and the youth in local communities,” says Dr Ridwaan Asvat, REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL’S Operations Director. “We hope that, by providing such a solution, we can bring better opportunities to people who need them.”
Here’s how it works….
Each MAHALABox contains a small computer. Employers, recruitment agencies, corporate entities, government departments, and tertiary education institutions can create content that is housed on the MAHALABox network. A MAHALABox generates its own wifi signal, and anyone with a smartphone can connect to it and interact with the network without needing data. With nearly 60 million smartphones in use in South Africa every day, it’s a practical and accessible way to connect people with information.
According to Sizwe Madikizela, one of the lead designers of the MAHALABox, another big plus is the fact that the MAHALABox uses sustainable solar energy. “By making use of a solar panel and a rechargeable battery, the box can be powered indefinitely,” says Sizwe Madikizela. “The MAHALABox is produced at a relatively low cost, sustainable to use, and extremely portable, making it a cost effective, feasible and scalable solution.”
The MAHALABox is a new innovation and its creators see vast potential for it in the future. The MAHALABox can be adapted to specific locations – community centres, gyms, municipal gatherings, sports events, transport systems, educational centres, and so on – and can become an access point for communities, or even a storytelling device!
“Innovation has the power to free South Africans from the shackles of unemployment and bridge the ‘digital divide’. The MAHALABox is our way to contribute.”
You can find information about the innovative, relevant graduate and post graduate courses now available at www.regent.ac.za Design your Future with REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL, a proud member of Honoris United Universities.
Sent on behalf of REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL by ICommunicate. For further information please contact info@icommunicate.co.za or visit www.regent.ac.za
About REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL
Since 1998, REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL (RBS) has been at the forefront of premium management education across the continent. Headquartered in South Africa, RBS’s acclaimed business, finance and management programmes have helped individuals and organisations build and sustain competitive advantages in a rapidly-changing, complex business environment. With campuses in all major hubs of South Africa, including Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria, as well as in SADC countries, Swaziland and Namibia, the institution’s alumni base of 10,000 is rapidly expanding. RBS’s leading centres for excellence – The Institute of Entrepreneurship, The Centre for Islamic Finance and Banking, and The Centre for Public Sector Administration Management and Innovation – are popular with high performers who are serious about making positive, impactful change within the global finance and management sectors. It’s latest 4IR innovation hub and academic makerspace, the iLeadLAB, is at the forefront of the institution’s strategy to empower students and stakeholders with in-demand skills as well as the hard and soft digital skills for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL. DISRUPT. RETHINK.INNOVATE.
***About Honoris United Universities
Honoris United Universities is the first pan-African private higher education network committed to preparing and educating the next generation of African leaders and professionals able to impact regionally in a globalized world. Collaborative intelligence, cultural agility and mobile mindsets and skills are at the heart of Honoris’ vision of higher education.
Honoris United Universities joins the expertise of its member institutions to create pan-regional profile graduates that are competitive in today’s fast-paced and demanding labor markets.
Honoris United Universities gathers a community of 27,000 students on 48 campuses, learning centers and on-line, in 9 countries and 30 cities across Africa. More than 100 degrees are offered in the fields of Health Science, Engineering, IT, Business, Law, Architecture, Arts and Design, Media, Education and Political Science.
Honoris United Universities. Education For Impact™.
