TSiBA Education, Cape Town`s first free university, celebrated the opening of its IT Lab on 9 February 2006. One of the corporate sponsors, national IT distributor and hardware platform integration specialist, Lightedge, donated equipment to the value of R50 000. The company upgraded TSiBA`s existing computers by installing new hard drives as well as supplying additional equipment and cabling.
Lightedge became aware of TSiBA through UCT`s Commerce Department which was actively involved in setting up TSiBA`s computer lab. "This was an initiative we simply could not ignore," says Grant Poulton, managing director of Lightedge. "Education and computer literacy is vital to growing our economy and the self-worth of our people. We immediately identified with TSiBA`s vision of `Igniting Opportunity` and encourage more companies to become actively involved in their communities."
TSiBA, which is modeled on the CIDA City Campus in Johannesburg, opened its doors to 80 students at the beginning of last year. The start of 2006 saw a move to new premises and a further intake of 80 new students. "It is only through education that we can bring people into the economic environment," says Adri Marais, executive director of TSiBA. "We provide training to students who have no access at all to tertiary education. We don`t only offer them academic subject training, but have an holistic model that includes self-development, leadership and entrepreneurship courses as well.
"At TSiBA, we place a strong focus on entrepreneurship so that even if the students opt to go the employment route, rather than starting their own small business, they take that entrepreneurial mind-set with them into the workplace."
"The internal culture at Lightedge is born out of our entrepreneurial beginnings and is based on creative thinking, innovation and ongoing training and development. This is why it is so important to us to contribute towards growing an entrepreneurial spirit within the greater community," concludes Poulton.
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TSiBA Education is a home grown South African education provider that is focused on developing future leaders out of South Africa`s talented historically disadvantaged youth. The Tertiary School in Business Administration operates as a non-profit education institution where all students in the programme are on a full tuition scholarship. For more information on TSiBA please visit www.tsiba.org.za
Light Edge
Established in 1993, Light Edge Technology is a national IT distributor and hardware platform integration specialist which provides a wide range of leading brand hardware and software products and peripherals. Headquartered in Cape Town, the company has a national footprint with regional offices and showrooms in Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit and Windhoek. Through this national network it offers clients superior products and systems from recognized names such as Intel, Stratus, Rose, Canon, SMC Networks, MSI, QCA, Aten, Transcend, Microsoft, Datafab and others. For more information on Light Edge Technology and its products please visit www.lightedge.co.za
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