A new partnership between the University of Zululand (UniZulu) and Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife aims to close the gap between theory and practice — as well as to enhance the employability of graduates.
Although Ezemvelo’s links with zoology and botany at the university have existed for more than 30 years, this partnership with the department of recreation and tourism is new.
The practical component of UniZulu’s BA tourism degree requires students to complete a six-month internship to graduate. The formal relationship with Ezemvelo now assures the department of internship placements. Interns who perform well are regularly employed by Ezemvelo after graduation.
“In a year Ezemvelo can accommodate more than 100 students — not all necessarily from the University of Zululand, but we do give priority to the students of the university,” Ezemvelo’s chief executive Dr Bandile Mkhize told the Mail & Guardian.
“The value of the practical component of such a course is that it is vital for employment,” he said. “Theory without practice is useless as far as we are concerned.”
Interns placed in Ezemvelo’s hospitality department gain experience in dealing with guests and also with marketing and event management. Those placed in the company’s biodiversity office work closely with rangers, who offer tours of the reserves.
“Tourism is one of the proud areas for the national department, particularly for poverty alleviation,” said Dr Thandi Nzama, head of UniZulu’s department of recreation and tourism.
Graduates of the department often go on to work for local, provincial and national government; others teach.
UniZulu’s bachelor degree in tourism is the only one of its kind offered in the country, Nzama said. It differs from other tourism degrees in that it is “broad-based”.
“The degree incorporates tourism planning and development, events management and tourism marketing,” Nzama said. “We want to link the theory with what is happening in the field.”
This connection between the department and Ezemvelo is mutually beneficial, the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Fikile Mazibuko, said. “They are partners in educating students and learners.”
Partnerships between the university and outside entities are part of the university’s “core business and strategy plan”, she said.
Mazibuko has been vice-chancellor since February this year and says she is continuing a strong tradition of partnerships at the institution. “I am continuing something that I believe in, something the former vice-chancellor believed in.
“We look at where we are located and we look at engaging communities and that knowledge which needs to be unpacked.”
The advantage of such an arrangement is “a unique combination of modern and traditional leadership all in one” that ultimately “adds to the value of the experience for our students”, Mazibuko said.
She strongly advocates private-public partnerships for the good of higher education. “For me the two are interwoven: education talks to the aspirations of a society,” she said. “It talks to supply and demand and it talks to the knowledge of a generation.”
The department of recreation and tourism has been running since 2000 and offers degrees in tourism from a BA to a PhD.
In admitting students into the course, the department looks for matriculants who have passed English. “It is very important for students to be able to communicate and write well in English,” Nzama said.
Learners who have taken up and passed tourism in high school — a subject that was introduced five years ago — are at an advantage for the selection process.
Next year the University of Zululand will offer diplomas in ecotourism, tourism management and event planning.