Rise SA Business Solutions and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) have announced a redesign of the Industry-Based Supply Chain Management course, shifting it from a predominantly theoretical format towards practical, system-driven training aligned with real business operations.
The curriculum update was initiated by Dr Sebonkile Thaba, Deputy Head of Department in the Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management at UJ’s College of Business & Economics, and PhD holder in Operations Management.
Why the course was repositioned
In her presentation, Dr Thaba outlined a clear and pragmatic concern: graduates understand supply chain concepts, but struggle to operate inside real business environments.
Her analysis focused on how many South African organisations – particularly SMEs, township and rural retailers, distributors, logistics operators and service-based businesses – face supply chain challenges rooted in execution rather than theory. These businesses often operate with limited data visibility, fragmented processes and manual co-ordination between procurement, inventory and logistics.
From conceptual knowledge to applied skills
The redesigned course places enterprise software and process modelling at the centre of learning. Students study supply chain management through real information systems, learning how theory translates into operational workflows used by businesses every day.
In partnership with UJ, Rise SA Business Solutions contributes an applied learning track built around Rise Business, its ERP built on business process automation 1C:Enterprise platform.
What students learn for real business work
Students gain job-relevant, industry-demanded skills, including:
- Supply chain process modelling in software
- Business requirements gathering
- Data-driven analysis and decision support
- Professional presentation of system-based insights
- Business justification for ERP and digital transformation initiatives
Students are also introduced to enterprise platforms such as 1C, reinforcing transferable ERP and supply chain automation concepts used internationally.
Preparing students for the South African business environment
Graduates complete the programme with hands-on experience using supply chain management software, a strong understanding of operational trade-offs and readiness to participate in real automation and optimisation projects across retail, logistics, manufacturing and services sectors.
Through this collaboration, Rise SA Business Solutions and the University of Johannesburg demonstrate how industry-academic partnerships can close the gap between theory and real-world business execution.
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