Optentia's short courses are building real capabilities across a range of people — support staff, students, researchers, and unemployed job seekers. From mentoring and professional development to research training and the Qhubekela Phambili programme, these courses reach far beyond the university walls.

Research reveals that when these practitioners experience decent work and strong capabilities, they flourish emotionally, psychologically, and socially. The findings send a clear message to policymakers: invest in the people who shape our youngest children, and everyone benefits.

Work should empower people to live fuller lives — not just pay their bills. A new Cambridge University Press book by Jac van der Klink and Sebastiaan Rothmann makes the case for a capability-based approach to well-being at work.

New research reveals that having resources isn't enough: it's whether you can actually use them. Autonomy, role clarity, and co-worker support are the three resources that unlock work capabilities — and without them, even skilled practitioners burn out.

What if work didn’t drain you — but actually made you stronger? Science says that’s not a fantasy: thriving at work is real, it’s measurable, and it drives better health, performance, and satisfaction.

Three studies of South African managers reveal that compassion directed at others, received from others, and turned inward toward oneself are all powerful drivers of wellbeing and flourishing at work.

South Africa is defined by hardship — but are South Africans actually unhappy? The data tells a surprisingly different story. High emotional well-being, moderate life satisfaction: welcome to "cheerful discontent." It may be the country's quiet, underrated strength.

Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash

Belonging, trust, and a sense of meaningful contribution may hold the answer to social thriving. This post examines social well-being profiles at work — and what they reveal about the conditions that allow people in organisations to flourish rather than languish.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Losing talented people is not merely a cost – it is a slow erosion of institutional memory, mentorship, and the trust that supports employees' capabilities and functioning. Understanding why people stay may matter just as much as understanding why they leave.

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

Getting a degree is one thing. Building a career from it is another. In response to a real need an invitation from the NWU Career Centre — a new short course on mentoring and coaching for graduate employability is in development.

Photo: Implementing an Unemployment Intervention

Some collaborations are formal. This one was always human. For more than two decades, Prof. Roland Blonk has been a cornerstone of the Optentia Research Unit — mentoring, connecting, and championing those who needed it most. As he retires from Tilburg University, we pause to say thank you.

A decade of dedication is paying off. From a 2015 research journey to a landmark publication, a registered career enhancement programme, and now the submission of the Qhubekela Phambili Trainer Development short course — this is the story of how evidence becomes impact. We are one step closer to equipping trainers across South Africa to help unemployed people keep moving forward.

Prof. Ian Rothmann argues that sustainable employment isn’t achieved by pouring resources into communities, but by developing people’s capabilities. Through research at NWU’s Optentia unit, he champions a shift from resource equality to capability equity—enabling individuals to thrive, contribute meaningfully, and shape their own futures.

Prof. Ian Rothmann, Director of NWU’s Optentia Research Unit, has been elected to the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). Honoured by the recognition, he sees it as a platform to champion science, mentor emerging researchers, and advance impactful, interdisciplinary research for societal good.

Can digital tools boost well-being? In a new chapter for Unlocking Sustainable Wellbeing in the Digital Age, Prof. Ian Rothmann and colleagues examine how technology can enhance human well-being, agency, and sustainable employability. Using the Capability Approach, they advocate for technology that serves people, not vice versa.