EVERYONE is talking about how important it is to encourage entrepreneurship as a weapon in the fight against poverty but is enough being done to support it?
Lisa Illingworth, co-founder and CEO of Futureproof, told SunMoney that she does not want to see another generation failed by poor education standards, false entitlement and helplessness.
Lisa said entrepreneurs have an attitude that we all can adopt to take charge of our own futures. They identify a problem or a gap and create a service or a product to solve this problem and or fill the gap – and generate money doing so.
“Tenacity is key. Entrepreneurs risk short-term gains in favour of long-term advantage. Nothing comes easy so patience is critical because they need to generate an income from their efforts.”
Futureproof kicked off its four-week programme at Qoqisizwe Primary in Orange Farm. It’s where they taught more than 100 Grade 3 pupils about entrepreneurship.
The lessons cover topics such as how to find an idea and turn it into a business; how to manage money for yourself and your business, and how other people can be part of your business.
All the lessons include active learning through games that simulate real-world business activities.
Chairman S’onqoba Maseko said that the current education system does not cater to the needs of the economy.
“It’s not about only content. You can find what you need on the internet. It’s about critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and technology.”
With the lack of skills available to prepare our country for the fourth industrial revolution,we need new ways to teach skills that children will need in the future.
Futureproof aims to teach kids the important skills they will need later.
