Amanda Blair

Cooperation with university staff

The cooperation with university staff was excellent and multi-faceted. Meeting the head of brand with a hammer in his hand on my first morning, when I arrived early, set the tone. He was rushing to hang a picture of Cape Town on the wall of my office to welcome me. My project in student recruitment enabled me to collaborate with a wide range of colleagues from the academic, counselling, administrative, fund-raising, brand and managerial areas. This broad view was complemented by extensive and well-prepared data from recruitment activity over several years. The constructive atmosphere led to spontaneous and meaningful conversations, particularly during load shedding, which continues to be a norm.

Cooperation with students

Setting up focus groups with students was uncomplicated and efficient. Their insights were varied and helpful, making a large contribution to the profiling that was necessary to produce a realistic and sustainable recruitment strategy. The new TSIBA campus has many „communication zones“ where students gather for group work and device charging, so I frequently dropped by in these to feel the pulse of students’ interactions with the campus, learning dynamics and staff.

Impact and Win-Win

The interactive and highly communicative process that supported my project was a deal maker. I came to the pain points and the wow factors very quickly so could hit the ground running in terms of making suggestions that could be feasibly implemented. Completing this project just after the move to the new campus in vibey Woodstock was also key. Additionally, through the openness and reactivity of the TSIBA staff, I was able to have direct contact with the district’s community via the Woodstock Business Forum. This enabled dialogue with local businesses, crime prevention units and even a lawyer volunteering to offer free sessions in protection against cyber-bullying. All of these constitute elements in making TSIBA attractive to prospective students.

Memorable moments

These were plentiful. Every day I came across an impressive personal story that demonstrated TSIBA students facing major obstacles (financial, personal, academic...) and overcoming them with resilience and grace. Two great events I had the pleasure of attending were a Business Battle, where alumni pitched their businesses for a grant, and the Cycling Breakfast as a warm-up to the TSIBA Cycling Team’s participation in the Cape Town Cycle Tour. At the latter several speeches explained how cycling mirrored the school’s values of entrepreneurship, social responsibility (riding for scholarships and marshalling activity in townships for example) and turning challenges into achievements.

Personal Message

I’d like to thank B360 and TSIBA for enabling me to return to this unique place for the third year running. Many individuals made my stay possible and fruitful. I’m going to mention just three here to give a flavour – 3rd-year student Tony Gozongo for instantly responding to requests for help with focus groups and a journalist visit, alumni Zizipho Nqezo for inspiring me with her catering business dream and success, as well as Claude on security who reserved me a safe parking space every single day of my assignment.