Thobekile Ndhlovu, 50 from Amanzimtoti has expressed pure excitement and gratitude after being conferred with her Degree of Philosophy in Business and Information Management.
For Dr Ndlovu, a lecturer at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), the conferment marks the end of a demanding yet rewarding academic journey. While the road to her PhD was not without challenges.
“I’m so excited even though the journey was not easy, I have a family to take care of, while doing my work, so it was not easy.” Dr Ndhlovu shared.
She gave some insight into her PhD thesis, titled, “Stakeholder Experiences of Work-Integrated Learning Management in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in South African Universities, forcing institutions to replace traditional workplace placements with remote, virtual, and hybrid learning approaches. This study explored how these changes affect the management of WIL, focusing on the experiences of students, lecturers, WIL coordinators, and industry supervisors in the Office Management and Technology (OMT) programme and its successor qualifications,” she explained.
She highlighted that the findings showed that while virtual and hybrid WIL improved flexibility and strengthened students’ digital skills, also reducing opportunities for practical workplace exposure, mentorship, teamwork, and professional interaction.
“Stakeholders consistently emphasised that authentic workplace experience remains essential for developing work-readiness and employability. The study proposes a resilient hybrid WIL framework that integrates physical workplace learning with digital and simulation-based approaches. It recommends that higher education institutions strengthen partnerships with industry, enhance supervisor training and mentorship, invest in digital infrastructure, and develop comprehensive WIL crisis-management strategies,” she added.
These recommendations, shard Dr Ndhlovu, provide a practical guidance for universities, policymakers, and industry partners seeking to establish more resilient, inclusive, and future-ready WIL programmes.
DUT congratulates all academics like Dr Thokozile Ndlovu on her outstanding achievement and her commitment to contributing towards improving the lives and livelihoods which becomes clearly visible.
Pictured: Dr Thobekile Ndhlovu
Photography: Sifundo Thwala
Nosihle Mthembu
