Education Facilitators - Business Overview of Education Facilitators

Business Overview of Education Facilitators

Education Facilitators was established in 1994 after a buy-out of the shareholders in Norite Education and Training Company. Initially, Education Facilitators offered education programs through distance learning for the upgrading of unqualified and under qualified in-service teachers, which was based on the curriculum and syllabi of the teacher training programs offered by the DET (the former Department of Education and Training) at Colleges of Education throughout South Africa. Education Facilitators had its Head Office in Johannesburg and was registered by order of the court in terms of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act No 101 of 1997).

During 1996 Education Facilitators entered into agreements with the University of Port Elizabeth (name has changed to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) and the Technikon Pretoria (name has changed to the Tswane University of Technology). The programs offered by the two Colleges in collaboration with these two institutions through distance learning were examined and certified by these institutions. In addition, the programs offered by the Colleges for Technikon qualifications, were examined and inspected by the SERTEC (Certification Council for Technikon Education), which was a statutory body. Certification by these examining bodies meant that all instructional programmes complied with the norms and standards of education prescribed by the SERTEC and the Department of Education. All certificates issued by the former Technikon Pretoria to students of the Colleges were therefore issued in conjunction with SERTEC. Furthermore, all certificates awarded were recognised externally for employment, promotion and further education purposes.

The increase in student numbers compelled the operating company of the Colleges to establish a Professional Services division. Since 1999 the professional services division was gradually upgraded from a position where personnel and student support was dealt with by an integrated HR, IR, Finance, ICT and logistics back office with a clearly defined value chain and service-level agreements.

Very little changes occurred in the marketing procedures of the Colleges. Advertisements were placed in selected magazines and newspapers and student advisors travelled from region to region to counsel and register new students. Thereafter, the Professional Services division dealt with telephone enquiries, as well as applications that were received via either traditional or electronic methods.

The group’s commitment to responding positively to the education needs of the peoples of Africa, and to provide quality programs and excellent service in the fields of education, business administration and policing that assisted learners to develop the necessary skills and competency to enhance their careers were evident in the growing numbers of successful graduates. The Colleges also acknowledged that it had a positive role to play in enhancing the establishment and maintenance of a prosperous and self-sufficient democratic society in the countries that it operated in.