Prof. Mthembu announced, “When I talk about young people, I do not talk about those people who look forward to getting tenders from government; I am talking about young people who will think big about what this region requires”.   

When delivering the State-of-the-University Address on 7 February 2015, Prof. Thandwa Mthembu, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of CUT shared with students, their parents, and staff that South Africa needs young entrepreneurs who are able to create job opportunities for others. He announced, “When I talk about young people, I do not talk about those people who look forward to getting tenders from government; I am talking about young people who will think big about what this region requires”. His address laid the foundation upon which the university seeks to build and transform its entrepreneurship education in line with its Vision 2020 of becoming a robust advocate of innovation and socio-economic development in the Central region. Prof. Mthembu stated that one way of dealing with the challenges of unemployment is by being innovative and entrepreneurial.  “We can no longer be content with simply producing graduates into a hostile, poverty-stricken socio-economic environment; we have to change course and provide a form of future-proofing that will not only shape the future of individuals, but the future of the region and country as a whole.” Mthembu took Sabbatical leave last year in order to gain more knowledge on how the university could reposition itself to be better aligned as a 21^st-century university, confronting the 21^st-century challenges of lackluster economic growth that is invariably resulting in unemployment. “As university students, you are exposed to the best knowledge and information that exist in the world. The biggest challenge for the higher education sector in this country is how to train and develop our students to create employment”, he concluded. CUT is moving in the right direction to anticipate future events and develop methods, skills and competencies to minimise the effects of these challenges. Watch the full State-of-the-University Address 2015 video on CUT’s YouTube channel, CUTFreeState. 

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Prof. Thandwa Mthembu delivered the State-of-the-University Address on 7 February 2015.