“I manage a diverse team in a very fast-paced environment in my role as an Engineering Manager,” shares Hugo van Zyl, from Kimberly-Clark in Cape Town. “I needed to sharpen up the key skills needed to help my team succeed in my role. From creating strategies to making sound financial decisions, right the way through to understanding how macro- and microeconomics impact the way we do business, I needed to improve my team and help us to achieve our objectives. This is what the Senior Management Development Programme provided for me. The SMDP is an extremely well-put-together programme and the level of information and literature presented by the competent subject-matter experts kept me eager to learn.”

After successfully completing his Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP), Hugo van Zyl continued his learning journey by enroling at the University of Lincoln. His successful completion of the SMDP meant that a substantial amount of credits would be recognised towards a graduate degree at Lincoln.
 

“My engineering degree needed to be coupled with a strong business degree as my future aspiration of growing into an executive role would require it. After completing the SMDP I felt more confident, however, I wanted more. The BA (Hons) Business Management Degree offered by the University of Lincoln as a direct rollover after the SMDP was perfect. It gave me an even deeper understanding of the subjects I was aiming for, whilst giving me the opportunity to become an alumnus on an international level.”

The University of Lincoln takes a Work Based Distance Learning approach (WBDL) to support part-time, distance learning. This creates a perfect recipe for full-time employed individuals to continue their learning and development journey while still being able to perform their daily duties as full-time employees. This is something that enhances the learning journey, as it affords real-time application of theory within the candidate’s work environment. “At first I had to adapt to the full distance-learning format and foster the self-discipline needed to complete all the subjects in time to the required level,” shared Hugo. “But the Lincoln team was always by my side, quick to support, respond and ensure I stay on course.”

“In the fast-paced world we live in, decisions need to be made on the fly and implemented accordingly,” concluded Hugo. “If you have an aspiration to obtain a degree in Business Management on an NQF level 8, then this is the perfect platform to do this and improve your skillset and qualification.” 

Stellenbosch Business School Executive Development currently partners with the Univerisity of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. Through this partnership, participants who successfully complete their Senior Management Development Programme can use the credits from the SMDP to reduce the amount of time it will take them to meet one of the Univerisity of Lincoln‘s degree programmes. 

To find out more about the partnership and to enrol, click here.