South32 partners with Black Umbrellas for enterprise development
Black Umbrellas and South32 have partnered to give entrepreneurs and SMEs in the uMhlathuze Municipality region an opportunity to grow and scale their businesses
South32 has partnered with Black Umbrellas to deliver a business development programme for SMEs in the KwaZulu-Natal, uMhlathuze Municipality region. The programme, funded by South32, aims to provide SMEs and entrepreneurs with training, mentoring, and business coaching.
Black Umbrellas is a non-profit company that has been in the enterprise and supplier development space for over 15 years. The organisation’s mission is to drive an inclusive and sustainable economic future by enabling SMEs to gain access to the necessary skills required to scale and grow their businesses. The partnership between South32 and Black Umbrellas seeks to facilitate the growth and development of SMEs through practical and tangible efforts.
South Africa’s business landscape is filled with brilliant ideas and innovative entrepreneurs. Yet, even in a country that is rich with entrepreneurial potential, there is a great need for resources and support to aid entrepreneurs on their entrepreneurial journey. It is this need that has inspired the partnership between South32 and Black Umbrellas.
Black Umbrellas offers an internationally acclaimed incubation programme, which is the basis of the partner programme. The development of SMEs is conducted on our virtual incubation platform, where they have access to e-learning which allows entrepreneurs to receive immersive training, mentorship and business skills from anywhere so long as they have a device and connectivity. Enterprise development at Black Umbrellas is focused on formalising businesses, maintaining their compliance and, ultimately, ensuring that they can be sustainable in increasingly competitive environments.
Applications for the business development programme are currently open.
Entrepreneurs with innovative ideas who want to apply for the business development programme can do so by emailing applications@blackumbrellas.org or clicking ‘Apply Now’ on www.blackumbrellas.co.za. The application process will require entrepreneurs to give a brief overview of their businesses and themselves and then progress to an interviewing stage.
