Thirteen postgraduate students have graduated from the Innovation Hub's CoachLab Leadership Programme.
Held at the Hub's conference venue, the graduation ceremony included the unveiling of students' real-time ICT projects. Since its initial introduction in 2001, CoachLab says it has "successfully prepared 38 students as economy innovators in the science and technology industry".
Its expansion this year has led to strategic partnerships with tertiary education institutes and industry, such as EPI-SE, Cisco Systems, Vodacom, the University of Pretoria and the Tshwane University of Technology. These partnerships help provide a more nurturing environment for postgraduates, and their products and services serve as a basis for students' innovation, giving sponsor companies a "fresh-look" at their existing offerings, says Jill Sawers, a facilitator of the CoachLab Programme.
In line with this year's theme of "communications", students came up with projects such as remote visitor authentication displayed on IP phone, a next-generation messaging prototype and universal mobile telecommunications system repeater placement software that resolves pilot pollution interference.
Other postgrad student projects for the past year included Cisco Events Rater and CoachLab Team Tracker, the EPI-USE North Face SA human resource management system, and the Idea Registration System.
The learning environment involves working on real-time projects that provide practical experience and the integration of technical knowledge as well as assisting in entrepreneurial, leadership and practical skills, Sawers says.
A further benefit CoachLab students enjoy is the close association of Maxum Business Incubator also housed at the Hub. The Incubator is a platform for entrepreneurs to establish hi-tech companies and they greatly assist CoachLab candidates with guidance and advice, Sawers says.
"In this way, the candidates are exposed to the realities of start-ups and can experience, first-hand, the entrepreneurial spirit required to succeed in a fast-moving business environment," adds Sawers, also manager at Maxum.
CoachLab also announced this week that cellular network operator MTN is the latest to join the CoachLab Programme as a partner and sponsor.
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