Vega Octant 2017 Octant_2017_Semester_2_finalc | Page 18

V E G A I N T E R N AT I O N A L P A R T N E R S H I P HIGHLIGHTS THYS DE BEER & DR CARLA ENSLIN When the doors to Vega open for the first time, students and lecturers alike might believe this is where all the applied learning takes place, futures are mapped, and minds expanded. But it is rather when those same Vega doors open outwards, to Africa and the world, that the journey truly begins. It is through exchange programmes that Vega students and Navigators are able to broaden their perspectives, to share knowledge with people from different cultures and industries, and to become a lot more agile and resilient in their own practices. In the past year or so, students and Navigators have travelled internationally, delivered seminars and attended courses, studied and absorbed knowledge – from Lagos in Nigeria to Mauritius, France, Nepal and the Netherlands – and this outreach continues. During 2016, Thys de Beer, Senior Brand Strategy Navigator and Manager: Academic Projects and Collaborations at Vega, participated in a lecturer exchange and attended the WE ARE Conference at Fontys Academy for Creative Industries in the Netherlands, one of Vega’s established international exchange partners. The valuable exposure gave Vega the opportunity to connect with other global thought-leading institutions. As a direct result, an exciting new exchange agreement was signed this year with Sup de Pub, a leading communications school with campuses across France, and satellite campuses in several other international cities. Students from Vega and Sup de Pub will experience each other’s rich cultures, in Paris and Cape Town respectively, whilst undertaking international brand strategy studies. 18