“South Africa urgently needs to develop a passion for, and commitment to, manufacturing – to support the fundamental transformation of society and enable substantially higher standards of living” – Professor Justin Barnes
Why do we need manufacturing?
Nicholas Kaldor, in 1960, first argued that manufacturing was an engine for GDP growth. Since then, the importance of manufacturing to economic growth has been widely supported. Manufacturing has proven itself to be an important vehicle for employment creation, human capital development, and wider economic growth. Despite the numerous opportunities associated with local manufacturing South Africa has continued to see the decline of its manufacturing capability, even at a time when we need it most.
Professor Justin Barnes, TWIMS Executive Director, points out that a major frustration expressed by industrialists in South Africa is the ongoing lack and associated high cost of management skills to drive productivity improvements. Combined with the supply and demand mismatch for high-level skills, this has significantly curtailed local firm-level efforts to advance operating capabilities in the face of international competition.
South Africa’s manufacturing future is therefore precarious. And yet the country desperately needs to re-energise its processes of manufacturing-led industrialization with its capacity to create employment, enhance labour productivity, upgrade skills, increase wages, grow the economy, and generate innovation. If we are to bring about significant economic growth, South Africa needs highly skilled leaders who can act as ambassadors for the broader manufacturing community.
Who is TWIMS?
In 2018 TWIMS was established to address the shortage of management skills within the South African manufacturing industry. Our vision: an industrialised Africa built on world-class manufacturing capabilities. To realise this vision, TWIMS has partnered with the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) to offer a suite of academically accredited programmes designed to build manufacturing management capabilities in South Africa and more widely into Africa.
Our apex management qualification is the GIBS MBA (manufacturing focus). This prestigious qualification is delivered exclusively at TWIMS’ state-of-the-art campus in Kloof, Durban. The programme comprises “the best of both worlds”: general management skills development, per the standard, globally accredited, GIBS MBA, blended with manufacturing electives covering Industry 4.0, Green economy, Lean production, African trade and industrialisation, Sustainable finance, and Women as Manufacturing Leaders. It also includes a manufacturing-focused global module and the completion of a manufacturing-focused dissertation.
The Manufacturing Ambassadors Scholarship:
TWIMS is acutely aware of the complex operating environment facing South African based manufacturers and acknowledges that many deserving individuals are unable to pursue the GIBS MBA (manufacturing focus) due to financial constraints. In response to this challenge, TWIMS is honoured to be able to offer such individuals the opportunity to apply for the Manufacturing Ambassador Scholarship.
As a result of a generous endowment from the Toyota South Africa Educational Trust, TWIMS is able to fund up to 17 Manufacturing Ambassador scholarships in 2022.
The scholarship covers 50% of tuition, textbooks and all residency costs at TWIMS during block-release and exam periods in the PGDip year, and 70% in the MBA year. 70% of the cost of the compulsory global module is also covered. The total value of the scholarship is up to R333,000 over the two-year MBA period. The student contribution may be paid by the scholarship recipients directly or by the companies the individuals work for.
The scholarship is open to individuals from any manufacturing or associated industry who are South African citizens.
Scholarship applications close on the 31st of October 2021. You can apply now here: https://bit.ly/3a5FI2C