Four students from Stenden SA in Port Alfred recenty pitted their problem-solving skills against those of 19 other teams from across the country at the South African leg of the Future Leaders Challenge (FLC). The event was hosted at RadissonBlu in Sandton. The programme aims to attract talented young people to choose a career in the tourism and hospitality industry within the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.
Representing Stenden SA in this qualifying round were Ayla Skye Greeff, Juliet Alexander, Julia Kilpin and Ehrin Schmidt, full time students in their second year, completing the B.Com Hospitality Management degree. Dr Megan Sharrock and Dr Juliet Chipumuro accompanied the four students.
The second-year students in the team from Stenden SA were chosen on the basis of their academic results from their first year (2024).
Working on concepts key to the industry, such as entrepreneurship and project-based learning, the students are guided by experts provided by the MEA Future Leaders Challenge. This is in preparation for the live event, where over four days, students learn to cooperate as a community and come up with answers to strategic questions.
The Stenden SA team presented a sustainable concept for the coffee industry for reusable, returnable cup systems like Cauli Box in the UK a digitally-enabled reusable lunchbox scheme that rewards customers for sustainable behaviours.
The top three teams in the SA round qualified to go to the international round in Dubai. The winners of this leg were the team from the University of Pretoria.
All of the teams were from Hospitality and they needed to present on a sustainable concept for the hospitality and/or tourism industry.
“Unfortunately we didn’t make top three, but the students presented beautifully and the networking opportunities were incredible. I was very proud of their presentation skills and concept development. They represented us well,” said Sharrock.
“Their presentation was commended by the judges and they were able to network well during the event.”
On its website https://www.meafutureleaderschallenge.com/ the organisation’s long-term goal is to ensure the MEA region develops future leaders who are not only innovative but also environmentally and socially conscious.
“This aligns perfectly with the region’s vision for sustainable growth,: the FLC explains. “By organising events such as The Challenge for students, we focus on game changing collaborations between our stakeholders to enhance the quality of education, talent development, and human capital.”
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, May 15, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
