Full History of BMT College

Established for over 34 years, Business Management Training College and the Institute of Business Management have an impeccable reputation for excellence.

The main objective and mission of the college is the training of competent mid-level Managers and Supervisors for government, commerce and industry. The BMT Group has successfully trained literally thousands of students to date, many of whom are today in senior government and private sector positions. The college is remarkable in particular for the quality of Managers and Supervisors that it has produced over three decades.

The Institute of Business Management was founded as long ago as in 1973 after an appeal by government through the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut for an institution to come forward to do management training for the smaller independent rural business community to whom at the time no training facilities were available. The Institute of Business Management - IBM was established for this purpose and conducted very successful training seminars throughout the country over a period of many years.

Mr. Charles H Stuart was appointed the first Chief Lecturer with the Institute in 1973 and through his captivating lecturing ability and strong leadership qualities held that position for many years. He was assisted from time to time with lecture content provided by many renowned academics from various Universities. During 1978 a new permanent state of the art Training Centre was established under his leadership in Pretoria. It consisted of a mini supermarket complete with genuine stock, for training merchandising techniques, lecture halls and an auditorium with the latest in audio and film training presentations. It was developed with the AHI and the main sponsors included Old Mutual, Nestle, Lever Brothers, the Plate Glass Group, KOO Langeberg and more.

This was South Africa’s first independent Management Training Centre for Small Business. A state of the art project and the concept which was later similarly implemented by other Universities to do practical training with their students.

During 1982 after a serious disagreement with authorities for having done too many training seminars for owners of black businesses and for allowing too many black students to attend practical courses at the Training Centre on the 8th floor in Pretoria and thereby having them to use the lifts. Mr Stuart would no longer tolerate the injustice and interference from authorities and quit his position at the Institute of Business Management. He later returned to acquire the full interest in the Institute and moved the IBM to Randburg which was the centre of development in Transvaal at that time. 

The Business Management Training College of Southern Africa was  incorporated and registered with Government during 1990 with the aim to take over the responsibilities for training done before under the name of the Institute of Business Management and to preserve the attendance and academic records of former students with the IBM.

The College then transformed the method of instruction to Distance Education only, by registering with the Correspondence College Council in terms of Act 59 of 1965 as a Correspondence College. Printed lectures (study guides) with the addition of audiocassette lectures were introduced. The College developed new and modern tuition techniques, which was followed by the addition of video lectures. Video films were produced by an in-house, state of the art film studio specially designed to produce training films exclusive to the BMT College lecturing arsenal.

Through Mr. Stuart’s vision and leadership the foundation was cast for BMT College as it is known today. His words still echo in the College’s Mission statement, preserving the founding principles he laid down for the BMT Group.

“Many of our students are from disadvantaged communities without schooling to the level of perfection. Depravation through historic inequalities and lack of opportunities may well be true. Promotion and advancement are however based on ability and performance. The opportunity with BMT College is to overcome any disadvantage and to be well trained and qualified as a business Manager.”

Anyone who wants to be successful in life and is striving for promotion and advancement must educate and train themselves to a level of competence that transgresses that of the opposition. To become successful is to broaden ones basis of knowledge by relevant studies and to develop the ability to perform better than others do. This is done by sheer hard work, determination, using initiative and to have the highest integrity... but above all it is to have the will to achieve.

The few who expect more from life than just plain survival, who are determined to be a success, the leaders who can complete what have been started, must study at the BMT College, the road to success starts here.”

Charles H Stuart – Founder of the BMT Group