About Us

On February 11, 2011, a group of independent and motivated alumni from various universities and TVET colleges came together to establish a network that could make a difference in the higher education and economic sectors of South Africa. This resulted in the creation of a non-profit organization (NPO 116-851) dedicated to transformative change and innovation.

The organization is passionate about lobbying for improved policies, advocating for enhanced funding opportunities, and promoting the production of quality research outputs. It recognizes that the challenges facing higher education and the broader economy are complex and require collaboration across organizations and sectors to achieve real progress towards meaningful and sustainable change.

As a result, the network collaborates extensively with government, tertiary institutions, the private sector, and development agencies to ensure that their goals are realized. The organization is committed to improving accessibility to higher education for individuals from poorer communities, as it recognizes that education is a powerful tool for empowerment and socio-economic change.

Objectives

The goal of the network is to engage in policy advocacy and lobbying efforts aimed at transforming higher education using open learning principles in diverse educational sectors. In addition, the network seeks to execute programs through strategic partnerships with government and allied stakeholders, promoting quality research output and innovative learning approaches and programs designed to transform higher education through research. One of our aims is to motivate, support, and equip students for success in the workplace while enlisting universities, TVET colleges, SETAs, and host employers in the effort to empower graduates. The network will also work towards mobilising resources and stakeholders to support the rapid integration of graduates into the economy by conducting research, providing essential statistics on graduate empowerment, establishing a reliable graduate database, and designing customised solutions to empower graduates.