Aim
This is a two-year part-time programme for those who are currently employed in the sector to enhance their knowledge, skills and competence in order to conduct/ demonstrate professional practice and implement effective and context-specific development strategies in the communities whom they serve.
Mode of delivery
Distance for 2024 Intake
Time Commitment
Two years of part-time
Online
January and July intakes
Accreditation
Registered as Cornerstone Institute (RF) NPC with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997, Registration Certificate No. 2001/HE08/006; NQF 5; SAQA ID 96415.
Admission Requirements
- A National Senior Certificate or National Certificate Vocational (with certificate pass)
- A Matriculation Certificate or equivalent
- Mature age of 45 years can be admitted, determined by the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) portfolio of evidence provided
- The National Benchmark Test (NBT) results.
- A minimum of 4 years of experience in the area of community development.
Charmaine Iwu is Programme Co-ordinator of the Sociology and Community Development and Lecturer for Cornerstone Institute. She is a recent graduate of CPUT and holds a Master’s in Education (MEd). She focussed on Teacher education in South Africa. She was introduced to the world of Education and training when her own studies began. With her love of Mathematics and Academic Literacy, which she channelled by tutoring during her undergrad and Honours studies at UWC, this gave her the impetus to pursue a career in Education and Training. Charmaine participated in the Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE) research unit based in CPUT as a student and research trainee. This internship was an incredible learning experience which culminated in her Masters. Her previous degrees in Public Administration with a focus on Policy and Legislation afforded her the opportunity to work in the Sociology and Community development department at Cornerstone.
Students who have completed the qualification should be able to:
- Apply effective leadership and management principles in community projects
- Evaluate the nature and sources of conflict and identify and apply methods of appropriate resolution methods
- Develop monitoring and evaluation processes and frameworks for project analysis
- Discuss and evaluate the different approaches to rural and urban development among poor communities
- Identify key role players and resources in communities and identify strategies for mobilising communities and resources
- Identify and apply best practice community participation methods for specific development projects
- Design and execute a practical community needs analysis leading to a project in which the learner engages through participation and reflection.
Module descriptions and credits
For a description of each module, see ‘Module descriptions’ herewith above. Otherwise, get in touch with us via helpdesk for further inquiries.