Develop the confidence and strategic expertise to successfully grow your small business.

Building a small business presents a range of unique and difficult challenges. To succeed long-term, you’ll need a sound strategy for the future and the expertise to effectively manage the various facets of a business.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) Small Business: Growth and Management online short course teach you the vital skills needed to expand and manage your enterprise while guarding it against failure.

You’ll gain the tools to make informed decisions about running your small business and develop the practical know-how to drive sustainable growth. Over eight weeks, you’ll learn about funding and financing, key legal considerations, marketing and sales, human resources and people management, as well as how to develop a future-focused approach to business management.

Is this course for you?

This course is designed for small business owners, managing directors, entrepreneurs, and freelancers across industries who want to learn how to successfully grow a resilient business, even amid challenging market conditions within South Africa. Owners of both online and offline businesses can benefit from the material by gaining the confidence and know-how to take their venture to the next level and transform it into a stable enterprise. The content would also be useful for experienced professionals who have started a new business within their field and want to know how to ensure its long-term success.

Gain the skills to read, interpret, and draft commercial contracts.

An understanding of commercial and contract law is crucial to doing business in South Africa. Commercial law focuses on the purchase and sale of goods and services, including intangible entities such as intellectual property rights. Contract law, on the other hand, underpins private enterprises and provides the legal framework within which people and legal entities transact and exchange resources.

This online course from the University of Cape Town (UCT) will provide you with an overview of the South African legal system, an introduction to contract law, and a nuanced understanding of the Consumer Protection Act. You’ll learn the requirements of contractual validity, as well as the obligations and terms of a contract. Develop the skills and knowledge to recognize, address, and offer solutions to problematic areas in contracts. You’ll avoid expensive mistakes and be able to negotiate better results for your company, in your personal life, or for your clients.

Is this course for you?

This online short course is suitable for anyone working with contracts in the business world, as the knowledge gained can be applied across a wide range of sectors and professions. Bankers, insurance brokers, asset managers, publishers, employment agents, and business owners will all benefit from exploring the legal frameworks that shape the way organizations operate in South Africa. This course can also help paralegals broaden their legal knowledge, ensure business leaders and managers understand what contractual decision-making entails, and allow professionals to add further value to their existing role through an up-to-date knowledge of the commercial legal landscape.

Develop the expertise to lead workplace learning initiatives that enable employee and company growth.

Amid rapidly changing times, more and more businesses are recognizing the importance of investing in staff’s professional development to both improve employee engagement and ensure that the company remains competitive. Consequently, those tasked with managing the up- and re-skilling of personnel play a key part in sustaining business success.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) Training and Development Management online short course provides an overview of current trends, techniques and practices in the talent development field. It’s designed to teach you the practical skills you need to identify your workplace’s training needs, plan and implement effective programs, and support successful adult learning to drive broader organizational change.

Is this course for you?

With its pointed focus on employee learning and development, this course is ideal for managers, human resource professionals, and training practitioners who want to improve their ability to contribute in their current roles. It’s equally suited to those looking to shift career focus and gain up-to-date knowledge to move into a talent development and training function.

Explore the principles and processes of building and maintaining a strong brand identity.

Effective brand management strategies are invaluable to a business’s success, having a direct impact on its long-term growth and profitability.

Professionals following brand management career paths are responsible for the perceptions customers hold about their brand. They develop brand management strategies to create favorable sentiments around their products and organizations. This strategic brand management course will allow you to learn from some of the brightest minds and biggest brands in South Africa, and give you the strategies you need to boost your brand management career in a landscape defined by digital and social media.

Is this course for you?

This course is aimed at brand managers, marketing professionals, or anyone who has the experience, or interest, in communicating a brand to customers and relevant stakeholders. Whether you are pursuing a new role or looking to validate and build on your existing skill set, you’ll benefit from this course by looking at how to build and maintain a brand’s reputation, tell its story, and cohesively integrate a brand strategy into your business.

Explore the practical applications of teaching with technology at every phase, from primary school to higher education.

As a result of accelerated global change, the integration of technology and education has become increasingly widespread. To excel in a modern classroom setting and the fast-evolving pedagogical landscape, educators need to adapt to new teaching and learning approaches to provide their students with an enhanced experience.

Discover how to incorporate technology into your classroom activities, lesson plans, and teaching strategies on the Teaching With Technology online short course from the University of Cape Town (UCT). Guided by industry expert and associate professor Joanne Hardman, you’ll discover the history of technology as a teaching aid and develop the ability to initiate a pedagogical transformation using technology in your environment.

Explore highly practical and theoretical applications as you gain the tools you need to deliver excellent education to your students at every educational phase. Apply these learnings, not only in times of disruption but throughout your career.

Is this course for you?

The course is aimed at educators who are looking to improve their teaching skills and enhance the quality of the education they provide. Teachers and trainers interested in deploying technology and new pedagogical techniques into their teaching style will benefit from gaining the tools to build practical lesson plans and strategies. The flexible format of weekly modules and deadlines allows educators the opportunity to update their competencies around a busy schedule.

Lead data policy in your organization with an understanding of South African and international data laws and regulations.

Data has become one of the most valuable assets in the business world. However, while properly utilized data can hold rich rewards for savvy companies, mismanagement can herald disaster. As a result, governments around the world have increasingly cast their eye toward data protection and privacy, while consumers are better educated than ever about their data rights.

In this climate, organizations need professionals who can navigate local and international regulations, and who are able to guide data policy design, implementation, and monitoring. The University of Cape Town (UCT) Data Protection and Privacy online short course equips you with the skills to mitigate the financial, legal, and reputational risks of data management. Beginning with an exploration of South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and its international counterparts, this course offers you the knowledge to take the lead on data protection in your organization. On the course, you’ll gain practical tools allowing you to monitor, review, report on, and improve data controls, ultimately validating your knowledge with a certificate of completion from UCT, Africa’s leading university.

Is this course for you?

This course is ideal for professionals who operate in the legal, risk, and compliance fields and wish to guide their organization’s data policy implementation. For early career professionals and those interested in a career in data protection, the course provides a practical, risk-based approach to their craft. Current data protection professionals and business leaders will gain an up-to-date perspective of regulations and laws, in both the South African and global context, to inform the strategic risks and opportunities faced by modern businesses. The course also provides the opportunity to learn to develop and implement data policies, while investigating modern trends in data protection.

Develop your understanding of financial forecasting, corporate valuation, and market analysis in preparation for a career in asset management.

Financial modelling skills are used to forecast the financial performance of a business or to compare it to its industry competitors. The Financial Modelling and Analysis online short course from the University of Cape Town (UCT) introduces you to the fundamental concepts required for Excel-based modelling and forecasting. On it, you’ll develop the skills to create a mathematical model in Microsoft Excel that reflects the historical, current, or projected value or financial performance of an asset, stock, or investment. Guided by expert faculty, you’ll learn to recommend strategic business decisions with the use of financial modelling, and create a discounted cash flow analysis using financial forecasts.

By the end of this course, you’ll have explored how to build revenue models, determine realistic forecast assumptions, and learned how historic data is forecasted into the future.

Is this course for you?

Aimed at existing and aspiring financial analysts, this course offers critical thinking opportunities and an objective lens through which to understand the financial characteristics and interpretations of businesses. With the ability to calculate, forecast, or estimate financial numbers, you’ll hone the quantitative skills needed to excel in this field.

Develop your ability to successfully design, plan, market, and manage events of all sizes.

In the age of the experience economy, the ability to run memorable events that appeal to modern audiences is highly valued. A career in this field can be especially rewarding, but success requires a solid grasp of the latest concepts, principles, and practices.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) Events Management online short course takes a holistic view of event planning, exposing you to a wide variety of practical skills in this field. Guided by industry professionals, you’ll learn how to bid or pitch for an event, manage suppliers and service providers, develop an event budget, and implement marketing strategies using the various platforms available to you.

You’ll also be introduced to the concept of event greening, and you’ll walk away with the confidence to design and execute anything from a brand activation or wedding to a sporting contest.

Is this course for you?

This course is designed for both aspiring and established events managers and coordinators, including those looking to start and grow their own businesses. Practitioners already working in the industry can update their skill sets and get to grips with changes in the field to improve their approach. At the same time, those just entering the industry can gain a solid foundation in events management, while enjoying student support from our team throughout the course.

Gain the knowledge and confidence to effectively manage all facets of modern IT operations.

Information technology (IT) plays a vital role in improving efficiencies in business environments. Its impact lies in its ability to facilitate new business models and provide richer ways of communicating with suppliers and customers. However, considering the rapid rate at which the IT industry evolves, professionals need to regularly update their knowledge and skills to effectively manage the disruption that this field presents.

On the University of Cape Town (UCT) IT Management online short course, you’ll be equipped with the practical skills and tools required to lead your business’s IT operations. Experience a case-based approach to IT management that integrates core conceptual knowledge with practical, real-world managerial themes. Gain the knowledge to oversee IT infrastructure and processes, and guide an IT team through the challenges presented by digital transformation.

Is this course for you?

This highly practical course is suited to both aspiring and established IT managers looking to create business value through IT systems in any industry. Those already leading an IT team can take this course to update their skills and stay up to speed with the latest IT trends and developments. Similarly, IT administrators, officers, and technicians may want to register to gain new and relevant knowledge and improve their chances of successfully moving into a managerial role.