The world of business offers many varied opportunities to build an exciting and rewarding career. While accessing these career opportunities has become more challenging as increasing numbers of people compete for business and commerce-related jobs, a tertiary qualification from a reputable and accredited higher learning institution is the best way to plot a course towards the business career of your dreams. IIE MSA, a brand of the Independent Institute of Education (The IIE). The IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice offered will help you shape the course of your career in the world of business.
The IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice involves a one-year course of intensive study at IIE MSA, during which you will develop a broad range of valuable business management skills, from business communication and administration to basic accounting and project management capabilities. According to Marlene Bogaards, Head of the IIE MSA School of Commerce, the curriculum is designed to give students a thorough introduction to the world of business and prepare them to take up a junior position in a business environment. “The IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice is an excellent introduction to the world of business,” she explains, “and many graduates have leveraged the qualification to successfully prepare for their full 3-year degrees or even apply for a variety of positions from office and project administrators to management assistants.”
According to Bogaards, the reason why job seekers who hold the IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice from IIE MSA are often so attractive to prospective employers stems from the fact that the course is highly practical and aligned to the current needs of most businesses.
“While this is an entry level qualification, the cognitive and conceptual tools it provides to students, as well as the practical business techniques and insights they gain through the experiential learning approach, mean that they leave IIE MSA well equipped with the basic business management skills they need to make them highly employable in the commerce environment,” she explains.
In addition, the IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice Higher is accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and is registered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) as a Level-5, 120-credit qualification. The IIE itself is also internationally accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC), an independent authority in the United Kingdom that recognises the quality of education offered by private education providers globally.
Of course, the IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice is not only for those who want to use it to apply for junior business positions. Bogaards points out that the course is also an excellent steppingstone for anyone who has set their sights on obtaining a business degree. “The one-year certificate is a valuable way of connecting high school-level business or accounting subjects with the business subject matter covered in a degree course,” she explains, “so obtaining your IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice gives you a solid foundation on which to achieve the results you need when you go on to study towards your business degree (e.g. BCom) or even your MBA one day.”
The IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice consists of eight modules and involves full-time study over two semesters, with lectures taking place from Monday to Friday. In addition to being required to attend lectures – whether these are face-to-face or virtual due to Covid-19 restrictions – there is also a comprehensive research component that involves independent research to deliver various course assignments; and formal examinations need to be taken, and passed, at the end of each semester in order to achieve the certificate.
The IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice also involves a Work Integrated Learning component, which gives students the opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills in a simulated, practical business environment. Students work in groups to develop project plans and do research, and then present their findings and an implementable business proposal to a professional panel.
“Work Integrated Learning is not only a very valuable practical component of this course, but it is also the aspect of the programme that many students enjoy the most,” Bogaards says, “because it gives them the opportunity to put into practice everything that they’ve learned and to get a real taste of what it will be like working in the business environment once they have qualified.”