Fast tracking a career with the GIBS PDBA for undergraduates

Today’s dynamic financial ecosystem makes it imperative to get the edge when it comes to acquiring skills – especially in business administration, according to Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) Dean, Professor Nicola Kleyn.

Employers, she adds, continuously seek candidates with a deeper knowledge of business activities and, with increasing competition in the job market, it is advisable to seek qualifications that boost one’s career path and help develop strong business acumen.

A year ago, GIBS introduced the Full-time Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA) specifically tailored to equip undergraduate students with the right tools to boost their employment prospects. The programme is specially designed for young undergraduates looking to hit the ground running once employed.

Klein says, “It differentiates itself by focussing on experiential learning through real business cases, and is designed to keep up with industry practice. The offering is designed to equip learners with the right tools in key organisational functions such as; human resources, marketing, finance, operations management and entrepreneurship. By combining a broad understanding of business concepts, practical applications and immediate transfer of learning to the work environment, PDBA students are at an advantage. Through a combination of classroom lectures, case studies, business simulations, business field trips and syndicate projects, graduates gain immediate insight into the business world.”

Today’s managers and knowledge workers enjoy rapid upward mobility and their earnings often outstrip their historic peers. Globalisation and business complexity increase the stakes and speed up the pace of business. This also means business requires more practical skills, greater innovation skills and flexibility to cope with new technology and fierce competition.

Professor Kleyn adds, “This innovative programme will expose students to the latest business trends as they build an integrated understanding of best practice. They will also develop essential skills and acumen to apply practically during a workplace internship – significantly increasing their employability.”

Students are exposed to some of South Africa’s best business lecturers and increase their attractiveness to employers by adding general management skills to their CV, from Africa’s pre-eminent business school. Through a selfdriven and experiential learning experience, they will:

Develop fundamental business knowledge and skills that enable application in a number of settings;

Apply learnings gained from classroom interactions, in a meaningful and sustained way, during a workplace internship;

Solve a variety of management challenges through the completion of an ongoing business project;

Attend more than 12 carefully selected career workshops specifically designed to prepare them for the world of work;

Complete a consulting project with a real business that needs real solutions;

Develop personal and professional skills; Have the opportunity to work under ongoing pressure in a simulated professional business environment; and

Meet an exciting group of like-minded high-potential new graduates.

Klein says career development continues throughout the programme as students prepare for internship and to support their progress into the workplace.