Small medium and micro enterprise (SMME) partnerships: A tertiary initiative to create a unique co-operative education model in commerce (The Business Clinic)

Abstract

Higher learning has traditionally been characterised by a clear separation from industry and service organisations. Students have typically been taught didactically, one subject discipline in lecture receiving mode. Industry and higher education are now facing a future characterised by profound technological and economic change (McGinn 1997). Economic trends favour increased deregulation and intense competition: such rapid change in industry requires an equally rapid change in education. There is a need for graduates to develop skills that will equip them effectively for a global market. Embraced within the international arena, partnerships between education and industry have gained tremendous support. The purpose of this article is to present the Business Clinic as an innovative approach to co-operative education within the disciplines of commerce at tertiary level.