The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) was established in response to an imperative to drive student and graduate entrepreneurship that has been growing steadily. It was established in 2016 within the University Education Branch of the Department of Higher Education and Training and has since been included in the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The objectives of the EDHE programme are:

• Entrepreneurship development in academia, i.e. support academics in instilling an entrepreneurial mindset within all students and graduates through the offering of relevant knowledge, transferral of practical skills and the application of business principles, not only to a specific discipline, but across disciplines.

• Student entrepreneurship, i.e.mobilising the national student and graduate resource to create successful enterprises that will ultimately lead to both wealth and job creation.

• Developing entrepreneurial universities, i.e. creating a conducive environment that will enable universities to adapt strategically and embark on projects whereby third-stream income can be generated through innovative business ideas.

A people-focused programme, the EDHE programme is intended to develop the entrepreneurial capacity of students, leaders and academics. The intention is for students to be more successful in terms of becoming economically active during and after their tertiary education. The people-focused nature of the programme extends to developing the capacity of academics and support professionals to deliver informed and relevant services in terms of entrepreneurship education. The EDHE programme spans across regional and institutional boundaries and is aimed at addressing entrepreneurship development needs at individual institutions.

To learn more about the EDHE, visit: https://edhe.co.za/