Strengthening Collaboration: A Benchmarking Workshop on Community Engagement and Student Entrepreneurship

On 08 April 2025, the Directorate of Community Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Inclusive Innovation, and Commercialisation hosted the University of Pretoria’s Community Engagement Unit for a benchmarking visit. The primary goals of the workshop were to identify best practices, explore potential collaborative opportunities, and gather valuable insights on advancing community engagement and student entrepreneurship in alignment with our institutional priorities. The programme facilitated an exchange of ideas, allowing both universities to pinpoint areas for mutual growth and collaboration in community engagement initiatives. The workshop was attended by faculty members, directorate representatives, community engagement project leaders, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) coordinators, deputy deans, and department heads.

Prof Joseph Francis

Prof Francis delivered the opening and welcome remarks, praising the University of Pretoria for choosing to collaborate and learn alongside their UNIVEN counterparts. He highlighted UNIVEN’s commitment to community engagement, aligning it with the university’s strategic priorities, such as being a student-centred institution that produces locally relevant and globally competitive graduates. He also spoke about various projects and programmes that demonstrate UNIVEN’s leadership in engaged scholarship and its focus on societal impact.

These include the Skills for the Future Programme (SfFP), the Innovation Cham-pion for Local Economic Development (IC4LED), and the Cleaning Citizen Mind-set initiative to inspire responsible action. Prof Francis emphasised that these initiatives have positioned UNIVEN as a university of significant societal impact, furthering its relevance through collaborations within the Vhembe District, including partnerships with traditional councils, municipalities, and sector departments.

Prof Vhonani Netshandama

 

Prof Vhonani Netshandama provided an overview of DCEEIIC, outlining the directorate’s mandate and its alignment with the University of Venda’s mission, vision, and 2021–2025 strategic thrusts. She emphasised the directorate’s commitment to inclusivity and its efforts to demystify engaged scholarship. Prof Netshandama highlighted how students, staff, researchers, community members, and industry partners collaboratively contribute to making the university a dynamic space for learning, unlearning, and co-generating knowledge that benefits the institution, its students, and the wider community.

Dr Eugine Machimana

Dr Eugene Machimana, Head of Curricular Community Engagement in the Department for Education Innovation at the University of Pretoria, presented an overview of community engagement at UP. He commended UNIVEN for its progress since his initial visit, not-ing the growing student population and the well-maintained campus. “We are pleased to visit and learn alongside our colleagues at UNIVEN; our decision to come here was intentional,” Dr Machimana said. “Our students come from communities many from rural areas so this exchange on community engagement is both relevant and essential.”
In discussing UP’s approach, Dr Machimana emphasised that community engagement is integrated into the university’s core teaching, learning, and research functions. He not-ed that all undergraduate students at the University of Pretoria are required to enroll in curricular community engagement modules, which are prerequisites for graduation.

Ms Adivhaho Nengwekhulu

Reflecting on the workshop, Ms. Adivhaho Nengwekhulua master’s student in African Studies and project leader for the Biodiversity, Conservation and Indigenous Knowledge System (BIKS) initiative—shared her thoughts: “The most exciting part of the day was when the team from UP presented their programmes and work. I noticed that many of the programmes they offer are similar to ours, although their methods and approaches can differ. One particularly fascinating insight was their compulsory Curricular Community Engagement module, which is required not only for students but also for staff. I was especially impressed by their emphasis on creating meaningful impact through community engagement. As a university, I strongly recommend that we consider introducing compulsory community engagement modules. These would provide students with hands-on learning opportunities while also contributing to societal change.”

Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication
University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811

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