The University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa, is to start offering short professional courses in Nigeria by 2020.

The university said in Lagos on Wednesday that it planned to introduce courses that would help young Nigerian professionals and others to build their knowledge base and improve their competencies in work places or as entrepreneurs.

“Wits has mastered the manpower development and the different methods of delivery for it suit of courses on offer includes face-to-face, online, masterclasses and in-company, making it most convenient for participants of all categories.

“Wits University was recently ranked among the top 200 universities in the world according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2020.

“All the university’s short courses are globally recognised and ranked according to the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

“Unlike having to pay for similar courses offered by European and North American institutions in hard currencies, payment for the short courses will be at local rates for what quality that is comparable to what is available anywhere in the world.

Wits said it would be offering short courses that would be locally available in block releases in Lagos and others accessible online outlets.

Some of the first offerings to be offered from January 2020 will include Advanced Project Management, Applied Digital Marketing, Basic Business Accounting, Business Communication Skills, Certified Property Manager (CPM) and Commercial Property Management.

Others are Commercial Real Estate Valuation, Construction Safety and Quality Management, Corporate Reporting and Disruptive Forces of Technology in Business for the Next Generation C-Level Executive (CXO).

The university said it was well placed, having made steady progress to be ranked the 194th best university in the world.

“The university attained the highest research score among universities in Africa based on its research outputs and its reputation for producing research that moves society forward.

“Over 1,400 universities across 92 countries are assessed using 13 calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

“Established in 1922, Wits University is a globally-competitive African, research-led university which has thrived with significant investment in supporting research output over the last two to three years.

“Wits’ research output has increased by about 50% over the last five years with over 85% of publications in high-impact, high-quality international journals.

“The university is strengthening its position by supporting and leading work in new areas of knowledge such as the fourth industrial revolution and automation,” it said. (NAN)

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