Future SA - Volume 2 l Issue 3

EDUCATION l SKILLS DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING l EMPLOYMENT VOLUME 2

ISSUE 3

AUGUST 2022

Enhancing youth access to learning and earning opportunities

SA needs change to achieve better maths results

How gamification can level up your corporate

e-learning August 2022 | R39.90 Incl. VAT

Freedom to learn:

Distance learning changing the game

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Empowering young people through entrepreneurial education Stress and anxiety on the increase for tertiary students 9 772788 710006

Editor's

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note

The third quarter of the year is a buzzing time for learners as deadlines approach to apply for entry into public tertiary institutions.

There might be concern over Grade 12 results and at times it might seem overwhelming to know you are responsible for deciding on what it is you want to do with the rest of your life professionally, in addition to limited spaces and the cost of studying.

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There are various avenues to explore, and with the establishment of other avenues such as private colleges, online courses etc., but it also means even more choices to make. Additionally, there are different funding mechanisms – the reality is that not everyone will qualify for a bursary, but there is also NSFAS and traditional student loans to assist students with their academic journey. Another option is to work and study part-time.

There will be a lot of hurdles to overcome, but for this reason it is more crucial than ever to have a positive mindset and look towards alternatives if things don’t go according to plan. It is also a good idea to speak to others to ascertain future job prospects.

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Good luck!

Tashne @futureSA.Media @futureSA9 @future__sa

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Contents

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Tel: 021 424 3625 | Fax: 086 270 9693 Email: info@futuresa.co.za

6 Advertorial: Optimi Classroom – Back to basics with 8

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An app to help you navigate the national benchmark test diagnostics

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xpanded options for high school success: find the right fit E for your child

14 SA needs change to achieve better maths results 16 Freedom to learn: Distance learning changing the game 18 Legal degrees 101: what you need to know about studying law in 2023

22 How gamification can level up your corporate e-learning 24 Shifting from skills development to career development is key to addressing youth unemployment

PUBLISHER Elroy van Heerden | elroy@mediaxpose.co.za EDITOR Tashne Singh | editor@futuresa.co.za SUB-EDITOR Tessa O’Hara | tessa.ohara@gmail.com CONTENT MANAGER Wadoeda Adams | artwork@mediaxpose.co.za EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Eloise Nolte Michael Gullan Tshepo Mokoena Lucinda Alfoncia Nangamso Matebese-Maponya

26 Youth should pursue careers in the built environment to

DESIGN & LAYOUT: Anja Bramley | artwork1@mediaxpose.co.za Shaun Mays | artwork2@mediaxpose.co.za

30 A young South African army for good and for global

MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS Maurisha Niewenhuys | maurisha@mediaxpose.co.za

32 What all corporates need to know about instructional

PROJECT MANAGER Brandon Cornell | brandon@mediaxpose.co.za

Advertorial: MTN SA Foundation – Committed to 36

ADVERTISING SALES Kanak Nathoo | kanak@mediaxpose.co.za Alison Davids | alison@mediaxpose.co.za Lorraine Beneke | lorraine@mediaxpose.co.za

curb the skills shortfall progress through AI design

empowerment in the digital economy

38 Enhancing youth access to learning and earning opportunities

42 Evolving role of school IT departments amidst the changing face of education

46 ICT is the answer to South Africa’s youth unemployment 48 MICT SETA & mLab partnership aims to equip South Africans for opportunities & challenges of Industry 4.0

50 Hiring for soft skills 52 SAFMA honours Afroteq Academy 54 Parenting the boss: why you should support your child's entrepreneurship dreams

58 Empowering young people through entrepreneurial education

62 How SMEs can attract the best of SA’s youth using online recruitment platforms

66 Stress and anxiety are on the increase for tertiary students 68 Opinion: Private sector has a crucial role to play in reducing

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Jay-Dee van Rensburg | digital@mediaxpose.co.za SOCIAL MEDIA CO-ORDINATORS Kyla van Heerden | social@mediaxpose.co.za Ketsia Makola Kiangebeni | ketsia@mediaxpose.co.za DISTRIBUTION & SUBSCRIPTIONS Shihaam Gyer | distribution@mediaxpose.co.za CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Shaun Mays | shaun@mediaxpose.co.za WEBSITE DEVELOPER/ADMINISTRATOR Justin McGregor | justin@mediaxpose.co.za RECEPTIONIST Daniela Daniels | receptionist@mediaxpose.co.za

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youth unemployment

Infrastructure can increase access to education 70 Funding opportunities for learners in SA 72 Books: Penguin Random House South Africa 78

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or its agents. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information published, the publisher does not accept responsibility for any error or omission contained herein. Consequently, no person connected with the publication of this journal will be liable for any loss or damage sustained by any reader as a result of action following statements or opinions expressed herein. The publisher will give consideration to all material submitted, but does not take responsibility for damage or its safe return.

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Education

An app to help you

navigate the national benchmark test Battling to come to grips with your NBT preparations?

There’s an app for that!

It’s National Benchmark Test (NBT) season and all over the country students and their parents are looking for help to get through this crucial assessment of their university readiness.

The National Benchmark Tests Project (NBTP) was commissioned in 2005 by Higher Education South Africa (HESA), now called Universities South Africa (USAf).

The NBT is a set of tests to assess a learner’s academic readiness for university and are split into two three-hour exams. One is called AQL (academic and quantitative literacy) and the other MAT (mathematics).

Universities use the results from the NBTs to determine if a learner will need extra support at university and they can also use the results to decide whether or not a learner’s university application is successful.

And that’s why it’s so important to be well prepared for the NBTs because it is your entry ticket to university.

This year, there are 25 opportunities to take the tests from mid-May to early January next year and the results will be used to measure a learner’s entry-level academic skills in literacy, quantitative literacy, and mathematics. The NBTs are designed specifically to complement the National Senior Certificate as they provide an independent and objective assessment.

This requirement for higher education readiness is an added demand on parents and teachers, many of whom have limited resources.

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Education

Help is as close as your cellphone

Leading NBT Preparation experts, Advantage Learn, have launched an App that will give students access to necessary university resources and requirements to benchmark their readiness.

“The App gives learners a view into the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) requirements for their degree of choice and will also link to additional universities' requirements via a downloadable PDF,” says Christopher Muller, Chief Technology Officer at Advantage Learn.

Muller says learners will then be able to take a free MAT and AQL quiz and benchmark their readiness – letting them know if they are well-prepared or need more practice for their test.

"Through our App we are making available, to all students, resources that can better prepare them for their higher education demands, and ultimately, their careers one day,” says Muller.

In addition, there are links inside the app where learners can access more information about what the NBTs are and other info they might need.

Follow these easy steps to download the app

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Open the app store on your IOS or Android phone.

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earch for the NBT Prep app by S typing in the search bar at the top.

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Tap on the NBT Prep app.

Tap install. he app will download and T automatically be added to your menu and your home screen.

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Advertorial: Optimi Classroom

Back to basics

with diagnostics Education in South Africa is set for new heights with its robotics and coding offering, focusing primarily on improving the awareness of STEM skills, namely science, technology, engineering, and mathematics among primary and secondary school learners.

The development of the STEM curriculum which includes Robotics, coding, and 4th IR technologies in SA schools is the future of education, with its full-scale implementation rolling out in the 2023 academic year.

“STEM teaches critical thinking and innovation. The focus on logical thought processes and problem solving which allows students to develop mental habits that will help them succeed in any field. This will in the long run benefit our country and its economy as we are educating the future leaders and decision makers,” says education expert, Aunyana Moloisane.

As the world moves towards coding, this extends far beyond merely building robots and developing digital solutions to the world’s problems. In today’s world, this is a much-needed skill to

thrive and succeed and sets the tone for future educational trends and developments on the continent.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, the education system has faced extraordinary challenges within these circumstances, but with schools returning to normal, the time is now to accelerate learning amid this unique period in history.

“The focus now must be on how we move our education system forward and how we ensure that no child in our country is left behind. We want to bridge the technological gap against us as South Africans and the global landscape, this is the first step,” adds Moloisane.

Implementing robotics as a new subject in schools is paramount in strengthening critical thinking skills, developing logical, computational, and analytical thinking skills, and enhancing teamwork ability.

“At this stage, it is unconfirmed which schools across the country will implement this subject as compulsory, but this creates a wonderful opportunity for corporates to ‘Be the change’ and invest their CSI efforts into educating the poorer schools and bridging the gap on basic education,” Moloisane comments.

Optimi Classroom, has been offering e-learning platforms since 2012, offers learners the opportunity to improve and reinforce what they have learned through special diagnostic tools and engaging practices sessions.

Aunyana Moloisane, Education expert

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As partners in learning with schools and tertiary institutions, this leader in Educational Technology as well as a provider of Robotics and Coding courses, deliver accessible learning solutions to learners and institutions in SA and neighbouring countries, including teacher training to upskill.

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Education

Expanded options for high school success:

find the right fit for your child A cursory glance at social media and parent groups shows the anxieties and frustrations of parents with school-going children today about access to an excellent education.

Lack of access at public schools is a major challenge, with children who qualify on all counts not gaining admission – through no fault on their part, but because of capacity constraints. Another observed challenge is that of children already at school, but where the environment is simply not preparing them for the modern world because of outdated pedagogies and ways of working, nonproductive homework requirements, or a system that no longer serves the needs of students.

Many options in the private sector that are not expensive

An education expert says while the above and other issues related to schools may feel like an impossible hill to climb for parents, the reality is that there are many options in the private sector of which parents may not be aware. Additionally, parents sometimes discard the idea of private education out of hand because of the perception that it might not be within their reach financially when that is not necessarily the case.

“Over the past weeks, many parents have had to tell their children that they were not accepted at any of the schools to which they applied, despite them qualifying for access,” says Kassandra Strydom, Academic Advisor: ADvTECH Schools Division Central Academic Team.

“We’ve also noticed parents highlighting the struggles their children are facing because of personal challenges or circumstances, being just a number at school, being required to take subjects that are of no interest to them and being subjected to teaching methods and approaches that are out of touch regarding what is required in today’s world and what will be required of them in future.

“Parental concerns are becoming evident. We urge these parents to investigate the options open to them in the private sector, because it can make a world of difference in a child’s educational journey, their self-actualisation and future prospects, and their general wellbeing,” says Strydom.

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Education

What type of school is right for your child?

Strydom says a key consideration for parents when investigating options in the private sector, is to consider what type of school is right for their child, because unlike in the public sector, different private schools have very different offerings designed to cater to the specific needs of students and their families.

She says top-level considerations when assessing any private school, will include the following: • class size; • teacher qualifications, experience and expertise; • commitment to continued professional teacher development on the part of the school; • teaching styles, methodology and environments; • the selection of curriculum and whether qualifications will be internationally recognised; • fee structures; • sport and extra-curricular offerings as well as facilities; and • additional academic support as well as programmes such as core skill development and edtech integration.

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Modern and progressive schools

These schools prepare students for responsible adulthood and potential leadership by laying an excellent academic foundation supported by future-focused skills that will ensure students have lifelong success.

Modern and progressive schools will offer the following: • Emphasis on learning by doing – hands-on projects, expeditionary learning, experiential learning • Integrated curriculum focused on thematic units • Strong emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking • Group work and development of social skills • Understanding and action as the goals of learning as opposed to rote knowledge • Collaborative and cooperative learning projects • Education for social responsibility and democracy • Integration of community service and service-learning projects into the daily curriculum • Selection of subject content by looking forward to asking what skills will be needed in future society • De-emphasis on textbooks in favour of varied learning resources • Emphasis on lifelong learning and social skills • Assessment by evaluation of child's projects and production • Edtech enabled learning opportunities

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Education

Specialised academic support and assisted learning

Traditional holistic schools and religious traditional schools

In addition to the above elements, traditional schools offer a strong academic focus with excellence in sport and culture opportunities for students. They seek to retain traditional values while preparing students for an ever-changing world.

The recipe of following time-honoured traditions has been very successful and recognised for the excellent contributions it makes in every sphere of education and to the social and emotional development of each student.

These schools offer a non-traditional approach to education to support neurodiversity. The unique strategy creates opportunities for the academic support and nurturing of all students on their journey to achieving academic success.

All students are included, catered for, and receive the additional support they require. The school believes that when a student joins the school, they are taking the first step toward their best future, creating opportunities for self-fulfilment and self-actualisation for all students, to develop their potential regardless of differences. Each student is taught according to their unique needs and in accordance with an individualised development plan by a multi-dimensional specialist team who follow a neurodiverse approach.

School types as above can be broken down into top tier and mid-tier schools. The variety of school fee options can be aligned to the school’s offering. It is important to highlight that investigation into the academic success of students is important as this is possible at all fee levels, but the offering of additional subjects and activities vary.

Online home schooling

Parents may consider investigating online and home-school options but are urged to ensure that their chosen school focuses on ‘cognitive’ screentime – where students are able to engage during lessons – rather than opt for a ‘paper behind glass’ approach, which may impact successful study.

“Very importantly, parents should feel comfortable that whichever school they choose, it has academic excellence at the core of its offering. Once that has been established, and the basic top-level considerations have been satisfied, parents can settle on the perfect environment for their child which fits with their budget, which will not only impact on the wellbeing and future preparedness of the child, but also on the family’s wellbeing as a whole,” says Strydom.

The ADvTECH Group, a JSE-listed company, is Africa’s largest private education provider and a continental leader in quality education, training, skills development, and placement services. The Group reports its performance in a segmental structure reflecting the schools and tertiary as two separate education divisions, and resourcing as the third division. ADvTECH’s Schools division comprises nine brands with more than 108 schools across South Africa and the rest of Africa, including Gaborone International School in Botswana, and The Makini Group of Schools and Crawford International in Kenya. It owns nine tertiary brands, across 32 campuses across South Africa and the rest of Africa.

ADvTECH’s eight resourcing brands places thousands of candidates annually, assisting graduates to make the transition from the world of study to the world of work.

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Holding hands for our future

Education

SA needs change

to achieve better maths results

South Africa is still not addressing the root causes behind the decline in the number of learners taking mathematics or the decline in the pass rate of those who do choose the subject. Less than 30% of all matric students take maths and only half of them pass their exams.

Professor Rashied Small, South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) Executive: Centre of Future Excellence, says the decline in both the number of learners and their performance can be attributed to the shortage of qualified mathematics teachers and consequently the teaching methodology.

Impact on career choices

“The decision not to take maths influences your career path. It is not only for accountancy that you need maths to gain university entrance. Almost every career path requires you to have mathematics in matric. Students are excluded from certain careers mainly because of their choice not to take maths,” says Small.

Schools appear to be “encouraging” learners who are struggling with maths to switch to math literacy in Grade 10. This is because they fear ending on the low pass rate list of the Department of Basic Education.

The result, for example, is that in a school with 100 matric learners only 12 are taking pure maths, says Faith Ngwenya, Technical and Standards Executive at SAIPA. SAIPA has been running an accounting, maths and maths literacy support project for Grade 12 learners since 2017 and has seen a drop in the number of learners over the years. Ngwenya agrees with Small on the lack of qualified maths teachers. Those who do teach the subject are not comfortable doing it. They teach learners the solution which they cannot explain themselves.

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Education

Future skills

Ngwenya says maths develops cognitive skills which are part of 21st Century learning – the ability to think critically, to communicate, collaborate and to be creative. It has nothing to do with crunching the numbers. It is all about being able to interpret, analyse and to solve problems.

Small adds that the current methodology of teaching, particularly in public schools, does not inform the learner of the logic that underpins the mathematical formulas.

“The logic of maths has been taken out of our teaching methods. We need to teach the logic. We need to come back to the basics.”

He refers to the time when learners had to recite the multiplication tables by heart.

“If you knew the two-times table the three and four-time tables became easier because the learner could see the pattern. It taught them the relationship between numbers. However, the methodology of teaching has changed, therefore learners find it difficult to see the relationship between numbers.”

We need change

Ngwenya warns that if we continue to accept the decline in learner numbers and their performances year after year, we will be worse off.

“We should start making an effort in Grade 10 to ensure they choose maths and continue with the subject until Grade 12 and that they pass. The view that math should not be taught in class only also has to change. Learners must adopt the habit of practising their math daily, as opposed to just 'learning' it.

“Sending them to summer camp when they are already in matric is too late. The support should start

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much earlier. These camps do not help to increase the number of students who would have otherwise taken mathematical literacy for an example to change and take mathematics as they are often available to grades 11 and 12 in the main” says Ngwenya.

Small says teachers have to be better capacitated.

The closure of technical teaching colleges is part of the problem.

“These colleges equipped them to become teachers, but it also helped them to specialise in the different subjects such as maths, science or accounting.”

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Education

Freedom to learn:

Distance learning changing the game Over the last few decades, our country has come a long way. Literacy rates have increased from 82.4% to 95%, according to data from UNESCO. In 1994, 58% of public-school learners in Grade 12 passed matric, while in 2021 that figure was 76.4%.

By Eloise Nolte, MD of Optimi College

At the same time, we have huge challenges, including an unemployment rate that has accelerated to 35% amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

To address this, we need to do everything we can to upskill our citizens, using every means possible.

Fortunately, education and technology have come a long way — and distance learning provides a meaningful way to help South Africans, of any age, get ahead with accredited qualifications and short courses. Here are 5 reasons why:

Learning from anywhere, at anytime

There are many education providers out there these days that work on a distance learning model where you can study anything from accounting to IT, software development, supply chain management and much more without ever needing to attend face-to-face classes.

Study material can be delivered straight to your door, and you can start studying immediately, at any point in the year.

With petrol prices increasing, this saves you money and travel time. If you have a full-time job, you don’t have to plan your after-work time around classes or rushing to attend classes in the evenings.

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Education

Less restrictive entry requirements

Distance learning institutions typically have courses that suit many different people with different educational backgrounds.

There are courses that range from provider to accredited programmes, which offer entry level courses that only require a Grade 10 or 11.

If you’re older than 21 and you’d like to complete your matric, you can do this by studying towards Adult Matric, or the Amended Senior Certificate (ASC). This qualification can help with getting into tertiary education as well, as long as you meet the requisite requirements.

More manageable

Many distance learning institutions allow you to study only a few subjects at a time. Apart from the financial benefit, colleges do this so that students don’t feel overwhelmed by the workload.

Even if you have enrolled for a few subjects, the likes of College SA sends your course material in batches. This is done so that you can complete a module and its assignments before moving on to the next module. This further allows you the opportunity to focus on one thing at a time – making it easier to fully understand your course material and attend to your other responsibilities.

Online study groups and forums

Many distance learning institutions will also have online study groups and discussion forums, where you can interact with fellow students and tutors, discuss course material, and ask for help.

Affordable payment options

By eliminating the extra costs that go along with studying, you only have to pay the tuition fees with a distance learning provider. You can pay your studies off in easy to manage monthly instalments, or study and pay for one subject at a time.

These costs can include your study material which means you don’t have to spend money on buying textbooks.

In addition, in today’s world there are also many study financing providers who can help learners with funding their studies.

When taking all these benefits into consideration, it’s clear that, more than ever, South Africans have the freedom to structure their own study time, schedule and pace of learning.

To find out more, visit www.collegesa.edu.za

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Education

Legal degrees 101:

what you need to know about studying law in 2023 As matrics consider their study options for next year, many are drawn to the idea of pursuing a legal career, based on how it’s portrayed in popular culture, including movies, television and most recently, the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial. Others might be put off by these representations of the legal field, feeling that they don’t have the stomach for so much rough and tumble, especially if they are introverts.

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Education

But the legal field is extremely varied and has streams that will appeal to many people, regardless of their personality, and with infinitely more career possibilities than just trial law in court, an education expert says.

“Studying law opens many doors across the economy, as there is not one area of our lives that is not regulated by rules such as, for example, road rules, company rules, building laws, and so forth,” says Bronwyn Le Ann Batchelor, Head of Faculty: Law at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider.

“Additionally, there are various options in terms of qualifications in the legal field, which provide entry into various careers,” she says. These include, for example: • BCom in Law: General management, legal advisor, corporate governance • BA in Law: Legal advising, paralegal, alternate dispute resolution practitioner, mediator, corporate communications practitioner, legal researcher, court reporter, legal writer, online content manager, criminologist • LLB: Career options in both the public and private sector. You can start your own practice, work for a small organisation (for profit or even an NGO) or even a large company.

“When considering your career vision, it is important to find your passion and link that to the associate career which could be any of the following: an advocate, attorney, prosecutor, legal advisor at one of the Chapter 9 institutions, alternate dispute resolution, community law advising, paralegal office advisor, any form of drafting, family-law practice, general commercial mediation, legal education, legal research, and non-governmental legal advising,” Batchelor says.

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Prospective students must properly vet the institution before signing up

But she warns prospective students to ensure they properly vet their institution before signing up, as an LLB is a professional qualification which means it is important to study at a credible registered institution that has complied with the legal requirements for accreditation of the qualification.

The institution must also be able to demonstrate that they have met the necessary standards in order to produce work ready graduates with the necessary attributes.

“When selecting where to study, it is important to consider the skills needed to become a lawyer or any form of legal professional. The institution where you study should prepare you for the world of work in as many ways as possible, and some universities unfortunately have not kept up adequately with modern workplace demands.

“Law is always evolving so it is important that the higher education institution you select is on the cutting edge of the most recent developments in the content and skills to be taught to their students, which translates into a work ready graduate,” adds Batchelor.

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Education

Which law qualification?

When considering which qualification to go for, prospective students should be sure to understand the various streams, and what these will qualify them for post-graduation.

“There are a few ways in which an LLB Degree can be obtained, but not all higher education providers offer the different stream options, so this is also an important consideration,” Batchelor says.

She says options broadly include the following: • Straight LLB (four years of study) • A selection of one of the streams (a three-year BA in Law or BCom in Law) followed by an LLB Degree (which can often then be completed in two years).

The latter stream results in two qualifications in five years.

There are pros and cons to proceeding with either option, Batchelor says, adding that after completion of the BA in Law or BCom in Law students can elect to proceed with a different postgraduate qualification that is not necessarily law related.

She says prospective students should also look beyond traditional law degrees and see what contemporary degrees might better align with their aspirations. For instance, The IIE LLB degree offered on its IIE Varsity College and IIE MSA campuses has a number of elective modules which are unique and new to the legal profession, such as Integrative Law and Street Law. And the good news for matriculants who do not meet the necessary entry requirements, is that it doesn’t mean the end of the road for them if law was on their study radar.

“You can still study law by way of completing a Higher Certificate like a Higher Certificate in Legal Studies and thereafter articulating to a Bachelor’s Degree,” explains Batchelor. “The Higher Certificate will also empower you to work in a legal office environment after a year of study and upon qualification.”

“It is important to consider the criteria and requirements of both options as well as your long-term aspirations. For example, if owning your own law firm is your goal, it may be beneficial to have some commercial background by doing a BCom in Law first followed by an LLB. “Making the call on which stream to follow can be challenging, so if you need additional insight and support, speak to student advisors at a reputable higher education provider to help you,” Batchelor advises.

Language is of crucial importance in the legal field

Batchelor says anyone interested in Law as a career should ensure they do as well as possible in English in high school, as language is of crucial importance in the legal field. Not only to meet admission requirements, but because of their prospects of being successful in study and work.

In general, most admission requirements for law degrees entail a Bachelor’s pass and a specific marks requirement for English.

Some (but not all) also have requirements for Maths, Maths Literacy or Technical Maths marks.

“When evaluating where you want to study law, be sure to find a higher education institution that is responsive to change – change in content as well as format of learning. Enquire about recent additions and change to curricula, and new ways of working. If the registrar’s or student support office can’t or won’t respond to these questions, keep looking. You don’t want to qualify with an outdated, purely academic qualification only to find you are not able to function in the real world,” Batchelor says.

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“Also, ensure that the institution focuses strongly on workintegrated learning – the golden thread that must be woven throughout the curriculum to ensure graduates have the necessary skills to enter the industry competently and confidently.”

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St Alban’s College.

E-Learning

How gamification can level up

your corporate e-learning We all know how social media gamifies communication by offering immediate, vivid, and quantified evaluations of our conversational success. These game-like features are responsible for much of social media’s psychological wallop. Social media is addictive, in part, because it feels so good to watch those likes go up, and in the background we know that the platforms’ scoring mechanisms bring with them another very game-like aspect: a clear and unambiguous ranking.

By Michael Gullan, CEO of G&G Advocacy

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E-Learning

We usually don’t emerge from a party with a ranked list of who the best conversationalists were, social media, on the other hand, offers both shortterm rankings (Likes and Shares for each post or tweet) and long-term rankings (Follower counts). Most importantly, the rankings are entirely unambiguous. Unlike a conversation at a party, with social media, we know exactly how well each post did, and can instantly compare performance against others. This provides all sorts of pleasures and pains; the thrill of victory when our likes go up and the pain when a measly two or three thumbs up (usually from our family) are the only acknowledgement we get.

This is one of the core principles of gamification, that technology increases motivation and imbue everyday activities with all the fun and excitement of a game. Gamification increases overall participation and can be highly effective in enriching your organisation’s e-learning.

Here are three things you should know about gamification and how you can use it to level up your e-learning strategy.

1. Use gamification to boost learning participation

Gamification can provide engaging and immersive learning experiences that encourages employees to apply their learning at work. Throw in rewards, recognition, and public displays of achievement and you have a winning combination that keeps learners engaged from start to completion and substantially reduces drop off rates.

2. Gamification versus traditional e-learning

Unlike traditional e-learning, gamification evokes friendly competition, assists employ ees in celebrating their achievements, drives innovation, and creates and embeds positive behaviour changes.

But perhaps the greatest effect of gamification in e-learning is the increased retention rates and the high probability employees will apply their new skills in the workplace.

Gamification uses scientific principles of repeated retrieval and repetition to bring about remarkable changes in behaviour. While games are fun, they can still have a significant impact on learning.

Employees remember More What they do

• Simulations Games

• Interactive courses • e-Mentoring

What they say or write

What they hear and see

What they see What they read

• eLearning with video and audio

• Courses with visuals • Online self-stuy guides • Online PowerPoint presentations of PDFs • Email • Documents • Whitepapers

Less

Low instructional design Ref: Nick van Dam and Edgar Dale

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High instructional design

3. Diverse gamification applications

Gamification can be used for serious learning and G&G Advocacy has ongoing success using gamification principles for a variety of corporate e-learning solutions, such as, professional skills development, product training, soft skills, employee induction and on-boarding, compliance and regulations training, technology training, sales, medical compliance and much more. Gamified courses, modules and even bite-sized Content CapsulesTM can and should be designed and implemented to meet specific learning outcomes to assist organisations with meeting their learning objectives and to be a driver for meeting greater business goals.

Don’t feel overwhelmed trying to understand how to retrofit engaging gaming experiences into your existing e-learning programmes.

With the right understanding of your learning objectives, by employee profile, and with the right platform, you can introduce gamification by: • Identifying key knowledge check points and assessments and integrating game mechanics into those points in your e-learning content.

• Add new gaming activities, online and offline rewards and recognition.

• Use gamified devices so your employees feel validated for achieving milestones and for positive learning behaviour.

Gamification is not difficult to apply to your e-learning and is well worth the time and investment as it will not only make your e-learning fun and engaging, but it will also enhance completion rates, ignite healthy competition, forge learning champions in your organisations, and nurture a growth mindset and a culture of innovation.

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Career Development

Shifting from skills development to

career development is key to addressing youth unemployment

By Tshepo Mokoena, Chairman of In2IT Technologies

Youth unemployment is rampant in South Africa, which means that our country’s up and coming workforce is not part of the job market. This is hugely problematic. While economic challenges undoubtedly play a role here, the reality is that corporate South Africa and government need to take on a more effective and active role in addressing the challenge.

While learnerships and skills development are important, these are often done merely as a tick box exercise, and they do not result in long-term employment opportunities. There needs to be a shift in focus from skills development to career development to ensure future employment and the economic sustainability of South Africa as a whole.

Going nowhere slowly

Stats SA puts current unemployment rates at 63.3% for persons

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Skills Development

between the ages of 15-24 and 41.3% for persons between the ages of 25-34. This is a massive chunk of the population who should be actively contributing to economic growth.

This population segment has also become increasingly disengaged: according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for Q4 2021, “young people have been discouraged with the labour market and they are also not building on their skills base through education and training – they are not in employment, education or training (NEET).”

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Career Development

A major contributor to this is the seeming futility of learnerships and skills development. Many youths find themselves in a cycle of learnerships that pay a stipend but do not provide adequate job training or development opportunities, and do not lead to future employment. This is because the learnerships themselves are the end goal for organisations looking to tick a compliance box. This approach is something that needs to change if South Africa’s youth unemployment rate is to be effectively addressed.

Working together

Instead of focusing solely on moving youth through learnership programmes that do not provide any paths for future sustainability, corporate South Africa needs to shift into a career development mindset. The aim should be to provide meaningful skills development and practical training with the ultimate goal of actually offering employment opportunities.

However, the burden does not lie with corporates alone. It is essential for Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the Department of Labour to play an active role in structuring programmes effectively. Training should not just be about ticking a box or sending youth off with a certificate, but about developing young people so that they can become active participants in the South African job and economic market.

Technology leading the way

This mindset shift is particularly important given the growing role that technology plays in our everyday lives and in the job market. Jobs in IT or related fields require not only a relevant qualification, but specific certifications that in turn need licenses and practical experience to obtain. IT corporates need to focus their learnerships and career development opportunities on delivering the combination of theory and practical experience to enable the youth to grow this sector in South Africa going forward.

To solve the current crisis, we need a robust intervention between government and corporate South Africa, as well as a clear plan of action for transformation. From the worsening youth unemployment statistics quarter over quarter, it is clear that our current programmes are failing us.

We need to fast-track technology skills development, but more than that we need to move toward giving the youth real skills and actual experience, as well as helping them to develop careers. The objective of skills development should not be to tick a box, but to transform the entire process with the aim of actually addressing the high youth unemployment rate.

career Development

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Careers

Youth should pursue careers

in the built environment to curb the skills shortfall While the World Population Review ranks South Africa number one out of the top 10 countries with the highest unemployment rates globally, the Master Builders’ Association, Western Cape (MBAWC) notes that there is a shortfall of 40 000 skilled artisans in the country.

This shortfall could be addressed if young people stepped up to pursue careers in industries that require skills such as plumbing, building and carpentry.

When taking a closer look at the number of qualified artisans in the industry, the most noticeable observation is that over the past three to four years, many qualified and experienced artisans have retired and left the industry. The number of retired artisans versus the number of new entrants does not equate, which has resulted in a shortfall when it comes to training and upskilling new artisans.

“This is a concern, not only for the MBAWC, but for the construction sector and country as a whole, as the built environment is a huge contributor to the country’s economy”, says Letitia van Rensburg, Training Officer at the MBAWC. Over the years, the MBAWC has kept a close eye on the talent pool within the sector and a key trend that has emerged is that many young people may not be aware of the career opportunities offered to artisans (such as carpenters, plumbers or joiners). This means that there is an immediate need for associations such as the MBAWC, the Department of Education and the government to start educating young people about career opportunities available within the built environment.

Some inroads have been made with the introduction of the A21 programme, but there is still a lot of work to do to close the skills gap.

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Careers

Skilled professionals needed to get the job done according to industry standards

Although many people can use their hands, for instance, to build a house, skilled professionals are still needed to get the job done according to proper industry standards.

“Some individuals have the basic skills to build a structure of some sort. However, these structures may not withstand the onslaughts of bad weather or even time, as they were not built by someone equipped with the appropriate skills and knowledge. In essence, being qualified and possessing the correct skills allows for structures that are sustainable, safe and environmentally friendly,” adds van Rensburg.

Training a qualified artisan takes between three and five years and it takes about 10 years to qualify as a master artisan. What is important for young people to know, is that pursuing a career within the built environment and ultimately qualifying as an artisan is multi-faceted and allows for personal growth and the ability to make a good living once qualified.

MBAWC Apprentice Training Programme

The MBAWC has several training programmes aimed at empowering and upskilling young people. One of the best performing training programmes is the Apprentice Training Programme, which is particularly tailored for people between the ages of 18 and 32 years. The purpose of the programme is to ensure that young people can be placed into the industry as qualified artisans.

In addition, the MBAWC runs a Supervisory Learnership Programme and an Occupational Health and Safety Programme, which are both aimed at jumpstarting careers for young people in the built environment.

“The MBAWC are focused on providing learning opportunities for young people, but we need more young people to join and grow in the field. Many retired artisans are willing to mentor new entrants who have a passion for working with their hands. Our young people need to understand that a career that requires one to do physical labor is just as important, and rewarding, as a career that requires one to work on a PC behind a desk,” notes van Rensburg.

“One thing about the world we live in today is that there are opportunities and platforms for people to constantly upskill themselves and keep abreast of industry changes. I always advise young people, especially those with a passion for the built environment, to start creating and building things while they wait for their artisan and apprenticeship training applications to be processed.

“Platforms such as YouTube allows anyone to acquire new skills. In essence, my advice is to always be on the lookout for ways to grow and upskill yourself, whilst knocking on doors of opportunity,” concludes van Rensburg.

To find out more about the MBAWC training programmes please contact Letitia van Rensburg at letitia@mbawc.org.za.

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Tel: 087 821 1109 or 012 110 4080 • Fax: 086 550 3692 Email: business@foundation.co.za • www.foundation.co.za FPD Knowledge Park, 173 Mary Road, The Willows, Pretoria PO Box 75324, Lynnwood Ridge, Pretoria, 0040

ABOUT THE BUSINESS SCHOOL • The Foundation for Professional Development – Business School offers a wide selection of management and business courses.

• The courses comprise of formally registered qualifications, international short courses, short learning programmes and distance education.

• It supports the vision of FPD to “To build a better society through education and capacity development” by offering quality courses at competitive pricing to increase access.

HIGHER CERTIFICATE IN MANAGEMENT (NQF 5) SAQA ID: 73498 • Compliance Administrator.

• Facilities Management Coordinator.

COURSE OFFERINGS ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME This qualification is designed to equip learners with the necessary business and management skills needed to navigate the workplace effectively.

WHY DO THE PROGRAMME? • Prepares individuals and graduates for the world of work.

• Gives individuals and graduates the skill set they need to increase their prospects of landing a job.

• Gives individuals and graduates the skill set they need to increase their prospects of gaining that promotion they desire to advance their careers.

WHAT COMES NEXT AFTER COMPLETING? Upon successful completion of the qualification – you can apply for the following qualifications: • Certificate: Business Studies, NQF Level 6.

• Advanced Certificate in Management, NQF Level 6.

• Advanced Diploma: Management: Business Studies, NQF Level 6.

• Bachelor of Business Administration, NQF Level 6.

• All management qualifications at Certificate, Diploma and Bachelor’s Degree level.

POSSIBLE JOBS THAT CAN BE SECURED WITH HIGHER CERTIFICATE IN MANAGEMENT • • • •

Administration Supervisor.

Business Administrator.

Business Analyst.

Business Manager's Assistant.

MODULE 1: DIGITAL LITERACY • Introduction to computers • Operating systems and security • Internet, email and social media • Productivity programs and MS Word • MS Excel • MS PowerPoint

MODULE 2: MANAGING SELF • Self-management • Presenting Yourself

MODULE 3: MANAGING OTHERS • Leadership that gets results • Your Role as a supervisor • Strength in teamwork • Introduction to diversity management • Introduction to relationship management • Introduction to human resource management

MODULE 4: MANAGING THE ORGANISATION • Introduction to Operations Management • Introduction to Project Management • Thriving and Surviving change (Economics) • Knowledge Management (Organisational Learning)

MODULE 5: MANAGING STAKEHOLDERS • Introduction to Financial Management • Introduction to Markets and Marketing • Introduction to Customer Service and Client Satisfaction

PROGRAMME FEE R15 000 (Please note that the programme fee is subject to change depending on logistical factors)

Over 500 000 Students 91 Countries 24 Years

REGISTERED with the

DHET SINCE 2002

Registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a Private Institution of Higher Education under the higher education act, 1997. Reg No. 2002/HE07/013

FPD is a member of the SAMA Group

• The FPD Business School has trained over 11 000 managers across Southern and Eastern Africa on various management related courses.

• The school has long standing partnership with the prestigious Alliance Manchester Business School (allowing us to offer their Advanced Management Programme qualification, customized to the South African business environment).

• It also has partnership with the Ivy League Yale University (allowing us to offer a co-certified Advanced Health Management Programme) for health managers.

ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN oNLINE & MANAGEMENT CLASSROOM (NQF 6) SAQA ID: 74379 • A Certificate in Management Studies Programme will also provide articulation with Postgraduate Management Diploma Programmes at other Higher education institutions.

ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME This qualification is designed to equip managers and aspirant managers, with the knowledge and skills to survive and thrive in an ever-changing managerial environment.

WHY DO THE PROGRAMME? • Taking the next step in one’s career often requires advancing one’s skills.

• Gives managers and aspirant managers the skill set they need to increase their prospects of gaining that promotion they desire to advance their careers.

• Online classroom – giving you access to gain knowledge and practical skills from faculty with education and deep contextual experience in business.

• NO exams - only individual assignments and submission of a Portfolio of ` Evidence.

WHAT COMES NEXT AFTER COMPLETING? Upon successful completion of the qualification – you can apply for the following qualifications: • Diploma and degree programmes from related and other sectors of the economy, relevant experience and prior learning.

• Bachelor of Business Administration, NQF Level 6.

COURSE OFFERINGS This qualification will cover the following modules: • Action Research • Understanding Economics and the Business Environment • Managing Self • Leadership • Strategic and Operational Management • Project Management • Managing Information (Monitoring and Evaluation) • Financial Management • Business Proposal Writing • Human Resource Management & Development • Strategic Marketing and Customer Relations PROGRAMME FEE R24 800 (Please note that the programme fee is subject to change depending on logistical factors)

TO REGISTER FOR THESE COURSES, FOLLOW THIS LINK: https://www.foundation.co.za/business-courses

Skills Training

A young South African army

for good and for global progress through AI Are South Africa’s schools equipped to introduce learners to the burgeoning AI economy, and to send young people into the world with the smarts they need to contribute to, lead and innovate in the global artificial intelligence sector?

Yes and no, says Zelda Fynn, ICT Manager at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. The Sci-Bono Intel AI for Youth programme is part of a global initiative to increase South Africa's competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI).

While many South African schools lack the infrastructure to offer AI teaching to learners, there’s a growing number of schools, in both the public and private sectors, that refuse to be left behind and are, in fact, ahead of the AI learning curve.

The Sci-Bono Discovery Centre is spearheading AI instruction in some of these schools and its pilot project is delivering exciting results.

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Skills Training

Global initiative to groom young people to enter and excel in AI specifically Sci-Bono is implementing the South African pilot of the Intel AI for Youth programme, a global initiative in 11 countries to groom young people to enter and excel in the tech sector at large, and in AI specifically. The pilot project is rolling out at Waverley Girls High School, Emdeni Secondary School in Soweto, and the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre Clubhouse in the Johannesburg CBD. It’s a hands-on modular journey through programming, robotics, understanding and managing statistical data, natural language processing, python syntax, and programming and digital design. It’s learning that demystifies the world of AI and gets 13- to 19-year-olds intimately familiar with the technology that’s impacting life right now and defining the future of the world and the global economy.

Intel South Africa and Dell Technologies are partners in the programme with Intel providing training material, support, and capacity building; and Dell Technologies providing the hardware and infrastructure (including the solar-powered labs on each of the school campuses and in the Sci-Bono Clubhouse).

Sci-Bono is programme custodian, selecting learners to participate in the programme, and hiring the AI for Youth trainers.

Classes take place outside the regular school timetable and during holidays. The fact that absenteeism is almost zero attests to the learners’ enthusiasm and hunger to acquire these skills.

Emphasis is always on local relevance and applicability Learners are not only introduced and trained in the world of AI, but they are also given free rein to programme, trial and introduce applications and programmes of their own innovation. The emphasis is always on local relevance and applicability, says Joao Fidalgo, EMEA and Africa Education Lead at Intel South Africa, and many AI for Youth learners are showing their appetite for and skill in AI through the work they are developing.

Unathi Morake, a 16-year-old learner at Waverly Girls High School, is working on an app to counter gender-based violence. The app will masquerade on mobile devices as something other than what it is, she says. This could be, she says, a shopping app or menstrual cycle tracker. But women will be able to activate it to signal distress or danger and so alert other app users and summon help.

She says it’s a fantastic opportunity to be one of the AI for Youth learners, getting a chance to show that young people have the wherewithal to innovate and deliver right here in South Africa.

This is the power of the AI for Youth programme, Fynn says. “It gives the technical skills to young people with the aptitude to apply them, and it encourages learners to innovate AI solutions to positively impact their own communities.

“There is no doubt that the pilot projects are delivering excellent results. It’s a matter now of seeking national investment to roll the project out across South Africa to benefit more young people, and to swell the ranks of South Africa’s skilled, experienced, and enthusiastic young AI professionals.”

“This is not only about enabling young people to confidently build careers in AI,” Fidalgo says.

“An important objective of AI for Youth is to grow South Africa’s presence in the global sector and to develop home-grown artificial intelligence technology that’s not only globally competitive but benefits this nation: our own people.”

Successful AI for Youth Pilot projects have rolled out (or are rolling out) in India, South Korea, Poland, Germany, Singapore, China, the US, the UK, Russia, Israel and Indonesia. The South African pilot now puts those learners at the forefront of a global initiative that will ultimately reach 30 countries, empowering 30-million young people with AI skills: an army for good and for worldwide progress through technology.

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Online Learning

What all corporates need to know about instructional design It’s no news that modern businesses are choosing e-learning over traditional training and, in the process, may be losing touch with the learning models traditionally guided by a training professional. Enter the Instructional Designer (ID).

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Online Learning

An Instructional Designer ensures that online learning is seamless for employees, and that knowledge is acquired in digital ways, without an instructor. e-Learning has come a long way since uploading lengthy PDFs and boring talking head videos, and it’s now up to Instructional Designers to develop online courses that not only facilitate effective knowledge transfer, but are fun and engaging, and can be rolled out at the speed the business requires.

Michael Gullan, CEO of G&G Advocacy, a specialist e-learning solutions provider that designs and implements bespoke e-learning solutions for South African and international corporates, suggests that increased learner engagement and reduced dropout rates should be every experienced Instructional Designer’s mantra. To achieve this, he suggests that e-learning courses are grounded in excellent instructional design that achieves the organisation’s learning objectives and meets the needs of adult learners.

Gullan distils the basic best practices, do’s and don’ts, and technical standards to ensure your e-learning transforms your workforce into a force for good.

Why do corporates want their employees to learn?

Putting aside the competitive benefits of a highly trained, skilled, and synchronised team, employees want their people to learn for the following reasons.

• To acquire knowledge so they can work better together.

• To develop new and enhanced skills, expertise, and the ability to enhance their performance.

• To improve attitude and to nurture better ways of behaving and responding to situations in the workplace.

• To keep your star performers engaged, while nurturing others that show great potential.

Adults learn differently

The science and art of helping adults learn is unique and all effective instructional design should include the following insights.

• Adults need to know why they should learn something – provide learning objectives that tell them why they “need to know”. Inform them of the benefits of learning.

• Adults have a deep need to be self-directing – give them the freedom to navigate freely through the course without any restrictions and involve them in the learning process.

• Adults become ready to learn when they experience a need to be able to do something more effectively – inform them how the course will help them do their jobs better and enhance their career.

• Adults enter a learning experience with a problem-centred orientation – design courses that’ll help them solve tasks and problems or improve skills.

• Adults are motivated to learn by both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators – motivate them through scores, points, badges, or certificates.

• Adults are time-sliced and learn better using microlearning such as those delivered in Content CapsulesTM. • Adults have different learning styles or preferences. Some are visual, auditory, or kinaesthetic, which should be considered when designing an e-learning course. Here are some guidelines:

Auditory

Visual

Kinaesthetic

Podcasts Videos

Graphs and infographics Engaging images Videos Articles

Hands-on activities Role-playing Notetaking

Five elements of successful e-learning

Gullan suggests that all effective e-learning should contain the following elements to be successful and to achieve your organisational goals.

1. Drive: A strong drive that motives employees to want to learn and improve.

2. Stimulus and cues: All employees will do as the e-learning content suggests. Good, wellconsidered and structured content is key.

3. Response: This is required of the employees in the presence of an effective stimulus.

4. Reinforcement: Will make the employee want to learn more and continue with the learning material.

5. Rewards: Increase motivation and ensure learning beyond the learning programme.

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Online Learning

Play to the learning cycle

Learning always happens in phases and should be the foundation of your instructional design: • Review (Why): Tell your employees why they need to learn and set the context to help the learner bridge prior and new knowledge.

• Learn (What): Present the learning content, concepts, procedures, processes, principles in engaging and interactive ways.

• Adaptation (How): Provide opportunities to apply the newly acquired knowledge and skills so they learn.

• Application (Now what?): Explain how to apply their new knowledge in the workplace.

• Integration (What next?): Finally, application is not the end of the road. After the adaptation of newly acquired skills, more reasons for further development will emerge and the circle of learning starts again.

Use your instructional design to increase learner engagement and reduce dropout rates using the essential tools of e-learning, overlay with the way adults learn and with an understanding of the learning cycle.

Gullan also suggests a robust e-learning platform designed specifically for your organisation and learning needs and that caters to different tiers of learners within your organisation is paramount.

“No one-size-fits-all, off-the-shelf LMS software will achieve even the basics of effective instructional design. Your learning solution needs to deliver fun and engaging content, track user’s behaviour and completion rates, stoke their fires of excitement, keep them learning to the end, and assist them in taking their learnings out into the workplace and ultimately turns learning into your most valuable asset.”

Use your instructional design to increase learner engagement and reduce dropout rates using the essential tools of e-learning, overlay with the way adults learn and with an understanding of the learning cycle.

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Are you ready to bring your A + game?

Enrol and register at MTN Online School and you’ll get access to world-class learning material at the click of a button. MTN Online School includes everything from interactive assessments, virtual classrooms and live streaming to a wide range of information, a library and so much more.

Get ahead by registering today on www.mtnonlineschool.co.za The mobile app is available for Android and Apple devices .

The MTN Online School web portal is free for MTN customers (ie can be used without any data)

Advertorial: MTN SA Foundation

Committed to empowerment in the digital economy If South Africa is to achieve its aim of becoming an ‘e-skilled’ economy, entrepreneurs need to be empowered and ready to participate in the IT sector and growing gig economy.

While there are many ways to tackle the pressing social issues facing South Africa today, the MTN SA Foundation’s approach is to use technology to create shared value in education.

As MTN’s primary vehicle for contributing to transformational social change, the MTN SA Foundation works to deliver a number of structured corporate social-investment interventions while contributing to building a more developed socio-economic environment for current and future generations.

Supporting South Africa’s developmental agenda As the Fourth Industrial Revolution deepens and the digital environment rapidly evolves, it is natural that South Africa should aspire to become an ‘e-skilled’ economy. There are, however, stumbling blocks on the path, including our lack of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates – and, where these skills do exist, the development of the entrepreneurial skills required to broaden participation in the IT field.

Helping to increase the number of STEM graduates lies in educational policy and in the development of initiatives that government must implement if it aims to make South Africa an ‘e-skilled’ nation.

In support, the MTN SA Foundation has undertaken the task of empowering entrepreneurs how and when it can, understanding that this massive shift cannot be achieved

by MTN alone but that its efforts could inspire others to participate in what is a significant future-building process.

Tackling the digital divide and equipping young people for the future As a major player in the telecommunications industry and employer of a large workforce, MTN believes it has an important role to play in providing youth with opportunities to enhance their ICT skills and long-term career prospects. MTN also has a role to play in enabling an environment for innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation in the digital economy.

The MTN SA Foundation fulfils this mandate through a range of community programmes designed to allow for agility and responsiveness in delivering solutions to the most disadvantaged communities across South Africa.

Its interventions are underpinned by ICT and include an entrepreneurship programme that targets SMMEs, college and university students and high school learners nationally.

Accomplishing national objectives by assisting IT entrepreneurs to obtain the business skills required to energise further and expand the sector is where the private sector and its partners can make a significant contribution.

Medium-sized IT companies, for example, can become role models in their communities, guiding and encouraging others to become established and competitive in the digital world.

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Advertorial: MTN SA Foundation

job creation. The challenge is only open to female graduates and alumni members of the Business Development Programme.

Entrepreneurship at university and school level

Providing youth with the business skills they need to participate in the economy At SMME level, the Foundation provides ICT business owners with the tools to create businesses that are robust, innovative, and able to succeed in a challenging and ever-changing operating context. The programmes are implemented at three levels and aim to foster an entrepreneurial mindset through training, mentorship, and small-business support.

One of the MTN SA Foundation’s most significant entrepreneurship initiatives includes the Accelerated Business Development Programme (ABDP). This programme was implemented through the partnership between the MTN SA Foundation and Datacomb Development Hub (DDH), and Hodisang Dipeu Holdings (HDH) in collaboration with the University of the Free State School of Business. The programme aims to support historically disadvantaged individuals to grow their businesses and consists of mentorship, coaching and training.

At university level, the MTN SA Foundation partners with Enactus South Africa to deliver business training and mentorship to tertiary students across the country. The programme brings together students, academics and business leaders who are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need. Young people are challenged to design projects that demonstrate their entrepreneurial skills and aptitudes.

The MTN Digital Innovation challenge is an extension of the overarching Enactus programme, and the aim of this challenge is to facilitate the development of digital services to address socio-economic challenges within the health, education, and agricultural sectors.

At school level, the Foundation supports the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) programme, which targets young people across South Africa with entrepreneurial skills training. The programme aims to inspire and educate teenagers on the fundamentals of entrepreneurship by exposing them to opportunities for personal development.

Looking ahead These programmes analyse the business model of each SMME by developing strategies to make the business relevant and sustainable.

The objective is to help develop and improve entrepreneurial skills and business practices that complement already-developed tech skills.

As an extension of the existing ICT SMME accelerator programmes, the Foundation has introduced the MTN Women in Digital Business Challenge in July 2022 through existing implementation partners. The programme looks to provide financial and other resources to a cohort of deserving black women-owned ICT businesses, with the view to further accelerating their business for growth, sustainability, and

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The future of South Africa lies on a digital path, and MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy aims to bring the bold, new digital world closer to all South Africans.

MTN SA believes that the power of technology is the key to opening opportunities. Central to our national success will be promoting and developing entrepreneurial skills and sustainable business practices in the small ICT business sector.

It is a commitment that we at the MTN SA Foundation will continue to support and promote.

For more information on these and other MTN SA Foundation programmes, visit www.mtn.co.za

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Youth Development

Enhancing youth access to learning and earning opportunities The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) is a South Africanbased agency established primarily to address challenges faced by the nation’s youth. The function of the NYDA is to mainstream youth development programmes aimed at improving the livelihoods of the youth of South Africa.

Asanda Luwaca, NYDA Executive Chairperson explains more...

What programmes does NYDA offer to unlock job creation and enable opportunities for the youth?

The programmes are aimed to enhancing youth access to learning and earning opportunities. Young people may find employment, on-the-job learning, improved skills, earn stipends, find opportunities that match what they studied for.

• The Grant Programme provides young entrepreneurs with an opportunity to access both financial and non-financial business development services to equip youth-owned enterprises in driving youth employment.

• The NYDA Jobs Programme is designed to assist in alleviating the scourge of youth unemployment through a database in which young people can register their CVs and supporting documentation. This is then made available to stakeholders including private companies who may have opportunities in varying fields. These may include full-time employment opportunities, learnerships, internships and training.

• National Youth Service Programme empowers young people with technical skills to start their own businesses or

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•

look for employment opportunities.

The NYDA Technical Skills Programme assists young people to become qualified artisans and certified electricians.

What are the criteria to access assistance from NYDA? The young person needs to be a South African citizen between the ages of 14 and 35. The NYDA assists young people of all races provided they qualify to enrol for a specific programme/ project/opportunity as per requirements.

How sustainable are the programmes run by NYDA and what mechanisms are in place to provide support?

The NYDA provides after-care support. Moreover, the Grant and Voucher Programmes require a young person to participate in Business Management Training, which is made compulsory in an effort to ensure sustainability.

The courses are offered at no cost to young people. All other NYDA products and services are also free. Young people are

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Youth Development

encouraged to register for the Mentorship Programme as well. There are NYDA mentors who have previously walked the journey that a young person intends to embark on.

What is the NYDA’s function for economic development through youth entrepreneurship?

The NYDA encourages young people to participate in the economy through starting their own businesses, which will in turn create work opportunities for other youth. The grant funding provides financial assistance to young entrepreneurs in a form of stock, materials and/or equipment for their businesses.

The programme focuses on youth entrepreneurs who are at intentional, promising, and new stages of enterprise development. Young people whose business ideas qualify for the Grant Programme, depending on their individual needs, will also undergo some of the NYDA’s nonfinancial support services, including: • mentorship • business consultancy services • market linkages • business management training programme • youth co-operative development programme

How can South African youth tap into this?

Young entrepreneurs can apply for funding or any other programme of the NYDA online by first creating their profile on the NYDA ERP system at www.erp.nyda.gov.za, or visit their closest NYDA branch.

What are some of the misconceptions about the NYDA?

That the NYDA only assists a few young individuals who have internal connections or are politically connected.

What are the biggest challenges facing youth?

Unemployment remains the biggest challenge faced by the youth of South Africa. Therefore, providing an enabling environment in which businesses by young entrepreneurs can grow and flourish is one of the NYDA’s main objectives.

What are the biggest opportunities locally for youth?

Arts and heritage is one opportunity, while technology has also proved to be an enterprising avenue that young people are exploring. Social entrepreneurship is also popular among young people in South Africa, and more young people are entering farming and dispelling the myth

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Youth Development

that this sector is only meant for the older generation. There are many success stories coming out in this field.

Looking at the high unemployment rate in SA, particularly amongst the youth, what are NYDA’s plans to address this?

The NYDA Jobs Programme is designed with this in mind, assisting with providing employment opportunities for young people, including forming partnerships with other organisations and stakeholders, such as sayouth.mobi which is a zero-rated platform for young people to access various learning and earing opportunities.

•

•

The NYDA Grant Programme also provide young entrepreneurs with an opportunity to access both financial and non-financial business development services to equip youth-owned enterprises in driving youth employment.

National Youth Service Programme empowers young people

•

with technical skills to start their own businesses or look for employment opportunities.

The NYDA Technical Skills Programme in partnership with the Services SETA assists young people to become qualified artisans and certified electricians. The skills can either be used by the youth in starting their own commercial establishments or look for work opportunities.

Does NYDA partner with business?

Yes, the NYDA is always open to partner with private, public, and civil society institutions that aim to alleviate the plight faced by the youth of South Africa, through providing employment or funding opportunities.

There are many graduates who remain unemployed.

What is the relationship with NYDA and the education sector, and what can be done to bridge the divide between education and employability?

The NYDA continues to partner with various institutions to grant young people access to the job market and improve employability. For example, young graduates from the various fields of study are currently enrolled in an internship programme to gain work experience. This programme was forged as a result of a partnership between the NYDA and P-SETA.

If youth want to learn more about opportunities provided by NYDA, what resources are available?

To access NYDA products and services information, young people are encouraged to register on the NYDA ERP System: at www.erp.nyda.gov.za, visit the website at www. nyda.gov.za or contact the NYDA customer service team on +27 (0)87 158 4742, or email info@nyda.gov.za The youth may also visit the NYDA nationwide branches for further assistance. Branch information can be accessed at www.nyda.gov.za/Contact-Us.html. In addition, the agency is also available on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, for daily updates.

Asanda Luwaca, NYDA Executive Chairperson

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STEP INTO ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION Afrika Tikkun Services (ATS) was established with the belief that young people deserve the opportunity to realise their potential. We are focused on fulfilling the career and skills development as well as the placement mandate for young people. Our Career Development Programme is designed to enable the economic empowerment of South Africa’s youth.

Many of our youth are trapped in a cycle of poverty and a poverty mindset, unable to comprehend their individual potential and contribution to society. ATS equips the youth by empowering them to create innovative solutions to long-standing global problems.

Through varied solutions, ATS correctly positions them transition into the economy and become active commandeers of their own power.

ATS broadly offers the following services: • • • • •

Work Readiness Training Specialised Skills Training Youth Employment Service (YES) Placements Learnerships and Internships Work Experience Opportunities

Get your stepping stone into economic participation today, register on the Afrika Tikkun Services website by visiting www.afrikatikkunservices.com T:

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Information Technology

Evolving role of school

IT departments amidst the changing face of education Not long ago, school IT departments were merely seen as a branch of school operations that provided support and maintenance for hardware and software. However, with over 1.2 billion children globally1 affected by school closures during Covid-19, school IT departments took on a pivotal role to ensure the continuation of education through technology.

By ASUS

Seeing technology as a mere utility to enable remote learning during a crisis would be missing the point.

The remote-learning experience over the past year has taught us that the use of personal devices, online collaboration platforms, and e-learning resources can be effective2. This experience has also given us a glimpse into the future of education where teaching and learning could be hybrid.

Students can learn anytime and anywhere and can embrace more engaging learning models by using technologies such as virtual reality (VR). Teachers, too, can capitalise on both existing and emerging digital solutions, with instructional design, multimedia production and data analytics becoming increasingly vital.

As schools around the world pursue the education of tomorrow, the role of school IT departments must evolve from a support function to a strategic role in exploring new technologies that can be integrated with the school curriculum.

This also means that school IT will need to build a solid IT foundation that can enable them to be more hands-off in regular IT support and maintenance, so their time and resources can be better used where the value is.

For this to happen, there are three key areas school IT departments need to build into their IT foundation.

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Information Technology

DaaS: Putting a computer into the hands of every student

1

To reap the benefits of hybrid learning, the first step is to ensure that every student has a personal device. However, many students from lower-income households do not have the means to afford it, and schools and governments are also often stretched with their budgets and unable to carve out additional funding to procure computers for every student.

This is when Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) makes more sense than direct purchasing. DaaS is a flexible consumption model that offers lease-like subscriptions to the number of devices a school needs. Here, instead of procuring, configuring and setting up hundreds of devices based on everyone’s needs, school IT departments simply make the

strategic decisions on the type of devices to lease, the capabilities they need to come with and what a device-management plan should look like. The DaaS provider will then act as the school’s extended IT team to provide services in deployment, support and maintenance around the clock.

The result is a device strategy that is more affordable, flexible and scalable that can be closely aligned with the technical requirements needed to support students, faculty and staff. At the same time, school IT departments can focus on more critical aspects of their job; the exploration of new technology and its integration with learning materials that can help enhance students’ understanding, build critical thinking and nurture creativity.

Centralised IT management: single view across every device

2

With students, faculty and staff having their own devices and set of software, management can be a mammoth task. School IT departments would have to manage hardware inventory and warranties, software licensing, data access and more across every device.

Consider the time and resources needed to monitor and manage all these devices, all with disparate configurations and requirements.

This makes having a centralised IT-management system key to the success of the future of education. The ability to monitor and manage all the servers, workstations and devices through one cloud-based dashboard can

greatly improve the efficiency of IT management.

Through remote management and automatic system setup, the dashboard can run routine tasks directly such as dispatching software and controlling USB usage without anyone having to lay a finger on the physical device.

The time saved using a centralised management system can be substantial, and ultimately this is not only beneficial to the school IT departments, but to the students, faculty and staff as well because IT downtime is greatly reduced to ensure seamless learning and teaching experience.

Zero trust: The approach to cybersecurity and privacy

3

That said, as schools become ever more connected through the various devices, software and tools used, risks to cybersecurity threats also grow. 2020 marked a record-breaking year3 for cyberattacks against schools in the USA, as cybercriminals found new avenues for data breaches, phishing scams and malware attacks as schools transitioned to remote learning. This trend will continue to grow as schools continue to pursue digital transformation in education.

For sophisticated cybercriminals, the disparate use of devices and software accessed through different networks provides more endpoints and potentially easier access to sensitive data. What

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school IT departments need is an inside-out, zerotrust approach with a multilayer foundation of IT management, identity security and hardware protection.

This will require a centralised management system that allows IT staff to remotely control school assets, security solutions such as fingerprint sensors and BIOS passwords that protect data from unauthorised users, a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip that securely stores authentication information, and much more. It is only when schools can leverage technology with peace of mind, can new ideas and solutions in education technology flourish.

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Information Technology

School IT departments must become a strategic function Technology will take centre stage in the future of education. To unleash the new possibilities in teaching and learning, school IT departments must become a strategic function where IT managers work closely with education experts.

References 1 The rise of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) 2 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/ coronavirus-education-global-covid19-onlinedigital-learning/ 3 https://k12cybersecure.com/wp-content/ uploads/2021/03/StateofK12Cybersecurity-2020.pdf

With people’s memories of remote learning still fresh, there is no better time than now to make a case to free IT departments from the never-ending routine of support and maintenance, so the underlying IT foundation for the future of education, can be built.

Recommended products for school IT departments ASUS Control Centre is a centralised IT-management suite that puts remote management, hardware and software monitoring, and task scheduling behind the user-friendly, web-based interface. It enables admins to monitor and control ASUS servers, workstations and commercial products including notebooks, desktops, All-in-One (AiO) PCs, thin client and digital signage. For education markets, in particular, ASUS Control Center eases the management of software licenses and similar digital resources.

ASUS Business Manager is a PC-based platform that facilitates the management of individual PCs. Features useful to education include USB Lock to control data movement, System Backtrack to remove unwanted changes and restore a device to the intended setup, and the ability to create an encrypted virtual partition for the storage of important data.

ExpertCenter D9 MiniTower (D900MC) and ExpertCenter D7 SFF (D700SC) both deliver high-performance, enterprise-grade security and management in an ultra-compact and sleek package. The Intel® Core™ vPro™ platform ensures affordable, reliable and stable computing with easy remote manageability – ensuring safe, secure and productive remote access for both students and teachers. The PCs are also engineered with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0, Kensington lock slot and read/write-controlled USB ports, providing an effective defence against theft and data leaks.

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Next time you hug someone you love, spare a thought for our children who long for a hug like yours. Then donate the worth of your hug to us. Every hug you give helps us to heal our heartbroken children.

Donate your hug

Information Technology

ICT is the answer to South Africa’s

youth unemployment While South Africa’s youth unemployment rate rampantly soars, the country’s digital skills shortage is expanding at its seams. Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills are the rarest ever on record, especially among women, but urgent intervention from the likes of Prudence Mathebula is helping stop things from getting a lot worse, before getting any better.

As the founder and managing director of Dynamic DNA, Mathebula knows that addressing the country’s critical skills mismatch head-on is the only way of improving the future of our youth, and our country.

Through her training and skill development company, the 32-year-old Soweto-born entrepreneur is determined to close the digital skills gap for companies and upskill as many of the eight million, underprivileged and unemployed 15 to 34-yearolds as possible.

“By giving them the right skills for tomorrow’s job market, they can competently be absorbed into the labour force,” she explains.

Her passion for skills development came ablaze after she completed a degree in B-BBEE management at the University of Witwatersrand and joined Dynamic Visual Technologies (DVT). While implementing a skills development programme that she had single handily secured funding for and registered with the MICT SETA, Mathebula was stunned to find so few black ICT professionals and especially women.

Unafraid of hard work and with perseverance, she spearheaded the concept of Dynamic DNA literally overnight.

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“I saw an opportunity that other training providers were not doing but which was desperately needed in the ICT sector and that was providing companies with faster access to SETA grant funding, and learners with practical learning and mentoring component making them employable,” she says.

It’s certainly a step in the right direction but Mathebula identifies three major stumbling blocks that hinder hopes of meaningful progress unless companies commit to youth skills development to close the digital skills gap and more young people choose ICT as a career.

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Information Technology

1

2

3

Securing funding for youth and pivotal skills programmes

Eliminating barriers to entry

Bridging the gender divide

The Skills Development Act and the Skills Development Levies Act provides for companies to secure SETA funding and SARS rebates for skills development, with the benefit of improving their B-BBEE scorecard as well.

Most companies today require potential employees to have qualifications in the form of a university degree as well as specific work experience, but Mathebula knows that this is not always possible among the underprivileged.

Perhaps an indication of just how uncommon it is for South African women to even consider a career in ICT, Mathebula completed a Vega diploma in marketing and advertising first and instead began a successful career in sales.

80% of SETA grants are set aside for pivotal training programmes for youth skills development, including mandatory and discretionary funding.

However, this funding is not accessed because the process is cumbersome, and companies do not have internal capacity or know-how to follow through on the process, keep an eye on Discretionary Grant submission dates and ensure accurate evidentiary documentation is in place.

If companies prioritise learnerships, bursaries, skills development programmes and internships for young people they can take advantage of these grants and address their future skills needs at the same time.

And the process does not have to be difficult if they form strategic partnerships.

“Because of Dynamic DNA’s SETA relationships, expertise and administrative management of the skills development process we have been able to reduce ICT learnership and skills development costs for our clients by up to 63%,” says Mathebula.

“Besides the SETA grants, SARS rebates also provide youth wage subsidies and Pivotal programme rebates, she adds.”

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When her own family was unable to fund her university studies, Mathebula used her drive and ambition to source every possible alternative. A one-hour walk to enrol for a bursary offered by MICT SETA was worth it when she was accepted along with 30 other students out of hundreds of applicants.

But she knows not everyone has the same motivation. By partnering with top ICT vendors, Dynamic DNA provides a variety of fully accredited, specialist courses for digitally savvy Generation Z candidates who have the right cognitive abilities, behaviours, and values, but not the qualification to match. Through learnerships, bursaries, skills development programmes and internships combined with SETA grant funding Mathebula’s company is creating a better future for all.

For young people to even consider pursuing a career in ICT, they need to have the aptitude for it, including being good at Maths, English and a passion for solving challenging problems, and the will to go for what they want. And while IT is not for everyone when you understand that a critical shortage of skills is impeding South Africa from progressing and competing on the world stage, it is important to create awareness about the opportunities available.

Even for young people who are not attracted to being a technical geek there are a wide variety of non-technical jobs that require ICT skills but also high levels of creativity such as digital marketing.

Part of the problem is that statistics show South African women are grossly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at university level, which restricts the pool of skilled female talent available to fill essential jobs in the ICT sector.

As a female role model, Mathebula is leading from the front by empowering women in ICT through her 4IR4HER movement. She aims to promote and develop grassroots skills and create employment opportunities for 5,000 underprivileged women in the domestic technology industry and already has 15 women partaking in the programme.

“There is a gap for women to take on powerful positions in business, in the technology sector, and entrepreneurship and yet we see a few successful women who have made it in the industry. I want to change the narrative for young women to one where you do not need to be interlinked to a man to become successful,” she concludes.

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Information & Communication Technology

MICT SETA & mLab partnership

aims to equip South Africans for opportunities & challenges of Industry 4.0 An exciting new partnership between mLab and the Media, Information, and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) is poised to introduce several Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related interventions that will equip South Africans to respond to the demands and opportunities of a technology immersed future.

mLab is a technology-focused company that collaborates with partners to create a vibrant and robust innovation ecosystem.

The non-profit organisation accomplishes this by identifying and nurturing young tech talent, assisting aspiring tech entrepreneurs and their fledgling businesses, and developing technology that affects change and improves the lives of ordinary South Africans. mLab’s headquarters are in Pretoria, Gauteng, with provincial offices in the Northern Cape and Limpopo. To make its skills academy as accessible as possible, it has academies in Tembisa, Tshwane, Soweto, Polokwane, and Kimberly. It also runs programmes in other Southern African markets and can provide programme participants with access to international opportunities.

According to the Education Commission, more than half of the nearly two billion youth worldwide will not have the skills or qualifications necessary to participate in the future, characterised by the convergence and complementarity of emerging technology domains, broadly referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), or Industry 4.0.

This dire shortage of skills translates to more than 50% of tomorrow’s human capital being potentially unprepared to enter the workforce. This is bound to worsen existing chasms between those who are prepared for 4IR and those who are not.

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The partnership between mLab and MICT SETA is set to address this pressing challenge in South Africa through many interventions, including accredited skills training, ecosystem building, workforce development programmes, and public policy. ‘’The agreement between the two parties brings South Africa closer to the National Development Plan; Vision 2030,” says mLab CEO, Nicky Koorbanally. ‘’It is set to boost the economy, reduce unemployment, increase investment, and combat inequality by upskilling and reskilling South Africans to keep up with the rapidly changing labour market.”

The Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) is a public entity established in terms of the Skills Development Act, 1998 (Act No. 97 of 1998). Its main role is to enrich industry skills set to meet the demands of rapidly changing economies, and new technologies and to promote inclusive economic growth in South Africa within the Advertising, Film and Electronic Media, Electronics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications sub-sectors.

For more information, visit www.mict.org.za/

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We Manage and Coordinate Skills Development Projects.

OUR SAFETY AWARENESS TRAINING COURSES The duration of each training course is 1 day and the course costs are dependent on the number of attendees. Theory is delivered at our premises (Face to Face in a class room) or Virtual (on-line) or in-house (client’s premises). The Practical component takes place at our training centre.

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Employment

Hiring for soft skills The way we hire candidates has gone through many changes over time.

One of them is the emphasis placed on soft skills.

Soft skills refer to the experience that candidates have gained through years of working in their industry or learned behaviour, as opposed to skills learned through study. The emphasis has shifted from focusing only on a candidate’s degree and years of service to whether they would be a good culture fit and what kind of attitude they would bring to the company.

But screening for soft skills proves to be difficult for recruiters. You can’t determine a candidate’s soft skills through their CV or résumé and screening for them during the interview is equally as difficult.

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One solution is skills testing; a form of testing that doesn’t define whether the candidate has the right qualifications, but rather that they would be a good fit for the company and will bring new and unique skills to the table, such as effective communication and conflict management.

Candidates that hold degrees and certifications potentially have more soft skills, as they’ve taken part in group work, critical thinking, abstract thinking, etc. This means that they have developed soft skills without knowing it, however, soft skills are also gained through years in the respective industries or sectors and will likely be found in candidates with extended and diverse experience.

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Employment

How do you screen for soft skills?

One option is to provide possible candidates with a test that analyses abstract thinking as opposed to hard skills. There are many software options out there to help test soft skills and would also be a good investment to test current employees in order to determine their strengths and weaknesses.

The CareerJunction online recruitment platform is an exceptionally helpful tool that allows recruiters to run through a list of skills – including soft skills if these have been included in the skills list or CV by the candidate, identify and filter the most relevant and appropriate for the vacancy, and view the CVs of candidates who match them.

Software can also analyse this by means of scenarios and solutions to puzzles to determine what kind of soft skills the candidate will bring to the business.

“You can also screen for soft skills during interviews by asking pointed questions that don’t relate to the person’s skills and experience, for example, asking the candidate how they would describe themselves in a single word, or asking about specific scenarios and how they would handle them,” explains Wiebka Cooper: Head of Operations for CareerJunction.

“Our video recruiting solution enables interviewers to ask the candidates these questions which may be specific to the role, providing both verbal and non-verbal cues as to whether they’d be a good fit.”

Why is it important?

“Testing for soft skills, such as accountability, communication skills, leadership, and teamwork, will give you a good idea of whether or not the candidate would fit into the company’s culture,” says Cooper.

This shift in perspective will help you to find the right candidate for the company environment and the values that they will need to adhere to. If fixed working hours are important to you – such as in the retail or financial sectors – and your company, a candidate that prefers a more flexible working environment might not be a good fit.

Similarly, soft skills will help you gain a better understanding of who the candidate is on a deeper level, rather than looking for the correct qualifications for the job. Sometimes, hiring an individual without the necessary qualifications, but the right soft skills will bring more value to your business if the candidate is eager to learn and will fit into the culture.

“It might seem like a strange way to hire new employees, but you will see the value and return of investment when you hire the candidate with the right soft skills. This doesn’t mean that qualifications should be ignored; some jobs require a specific level of qualification and shouldn’t be overlooked because of a candidate with better soft skills,” concludes Cooper.

Makes integration of the employee into the new environment easier

It’s important to look for candidates that bring both soft skills and relevant qualifications and work experience to the table, as it will make integration of the employee into the new environment easier.

Remember that you shouldn’t throw qualifications and years of experience to the side when looking for the ideal soft skills, but rather take an integrated approach. Soft skills are a learned behaviour, and so your company might be the right fit for the qualified candidate that has the potential to develop these skills.

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Employment

SAFMA honours Afroteq Academy

with special recognition award

The South African Facilities Management Association (SAFMA) presented a special Recognition Award to Afroteq Academy for the significant contribution it makes to education in the South African facilities management industry.

Speaking at SAFMA’s annual awards ceremony, which was broadcast virtually, Director of Education John Samuel said SAFMA honours individuals, groups or corporates whose work stands head and shoulders above their peers in the advancement of facilities management.

“Many others will follow in your footsteps, but you are the first.

No one can ever change that on this achievement. Success will continue to build on your joint experiences. Each one of you has achieved a recognised level of knowledge,” Samuel added.

Natasja Ware: Afroteq Academy Manager said, “Congratulations to all our graduates who received their QCTO Certificate of Competence for the NQF 6 Occupational Certificate: Facilities Management at the SAFMA graduation ceremony. We were humbled by your commitment and your passion. You committed two years of your life while working in a very difficult industry over a difficult time. We are extremely proud of your achievement!”

In addition to the Recognition Award, SAFMA also handed out the following prizes: • Award for Excellence covered all aspects of FM from in-house to outsourced service providers, PPPs or any other variation.

• Facilities Manager of the Year award recognised individual Facilities Managers for their outstanding professionalism and contribution to the FM industry.

• Young Achiever of the Year is awarded to a person under the age of 35 (at the end of the calendar year) and who has made a significant impact in their area of responsibility.

• Award for Technology Implementation of the Year went to the company (outsourced partner, a client, or a corporate with its in-housed FM) that had successfully incorporated technology into its infrastructure and core services.

• Chairman’s award was an open category which covered any person or team that has made a special contribution to the FM industry.

“Afroteq Academy is very proud to have received SAFMA’s Recognition Award as an acknowledgement of our efforts to enhance and grow the South African Facilities Management industry. We will continue building and developing our training programmes, because we are passionate about seeing the growth of the facilities management industry and ensuring that our students are empowered to advance their careers and reach their maximum potential as they expand their industry knowledge,” said Ware.

For more information, visit www.afroteqacademy.co.za

Left to right: Natasja Ware – Afroteq Academy Manager, Zanele Hlatshwayo, Thesin Papia, Sophia Sampath, Mbali Kunene, Lizelle Lindeque, Jayshree Chetty, John Samuel – SAFMA Director of Education, Absent – Andre Adonis

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Entrepreneurship

Parenting the boss:

why you should support your child's entrepreneurship dreams Parenting is not an easy job. Most parents want to raise children who grow up to become respected members of society and adults that are passionate about serving their communities.

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So, for many parents, a successful career, especially within commonly respected fields such as medicine, engineering and perhaps a job in the public sector, is one way of attaining respect from their communities. And, entrepreneurship as a career on the other hand is generally not seen as a viable choice because of the risks associated with it.

Yet, entrepreneurship is just as important a career choice as any other, for some people. When a child decides to take an entrepreneurial leap, they'll need constant motivation from themselves and those around them. According to Josh Adler, Executive Director of Africa’s premier entrepreneurship initiative, the Anzisha Prize, parents and guardians are actually integral to this, playing an important role that contributes to the success of the journey of entrepreneurship.

“But unfortunately, most parents do not know exactly how to support their entrepreneurial children in their journey. This is because of decades of societal conscientisation around the idea of basic education and employment, which are systematically designed to favour job-seeking rather than job-creation. It is also the fear of the risk of financial losses that makes parents more likely to encourage their children to go through school and find a job, instead of opting for entrepreneurship as a career,” says Adler.

He emphasises that this way of parenting simply does not cut it anymore: “In Africa where the labour population grows faster than the economy is able to maintain jobs or create new opportunities, this way of thinking is rather unsustainable.

“The World Bank’s The Africa Competitiveness Report 2017 projected that the continent’s labour population will grow by 450 million people by 2030 but the continent’s economy may only produce a mere 100 million jobs. The report did not anticipate the Covid-19 pandemic. The Bank’s recent report on Africa released in 2021 has thus revised the projection on the size of the potential labour population to at least half a billion (50 million more). This growth is still within an economy that was barely recovering from recession by 2020 when the pandemic hit.”

It has never been more important for the continent to produce an entrepreneurial population than it is today.

More important than ever for Africa to produce an entrepreneurial population

It has never been more important for the continent to produce an entrepreneurial population than it is today. And, while it is equally important for everyone to play their part in realising this, from governments, policymakers and teachers; to parents, guardians and society in general, parents are at the heart of this challenge.

So, how should African parents play this role? Adler borrows from the Anzisha Prize’s recently published book Think Like a Parent, Act like a Coach: Parenting the Boss, to provide ways to support your child’s entrepreneurship dreams.

Once a teenage entrepreneur himself, he believes that it was the support of his own parents that helped him start and build his own business.

“My very first business venture was started while attending university and living at home. By the time I left home, I had no need to look for a job because my business had secured me and my colleagues (my friends, actually!) a regular income. The business grew and so did we, just like any other career,” he says.

As a parent today, Adler shares the tips below for parents to help their children’s entrepreneurial ventures in this day and age.

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Entrepreneurship

Understand entrepreneurship for yourself

The concept of entrepreneurship means a number of different things to different people. But it is commonly associated with the idea that it is an alternative solution for people struggling to secure employment.

As a parent, you do not want these difficulties for your child.

But when we look at entrepreneurship differently, these fears fade. Entrepreneurship is in fact our inherent ability as humans to identify societal needs and socio-economic challenges and therefore apply innovative thinking to address them; and generate revenue and employment opportunities while at it.

So, if your child demonstrates any such characteristics of entrepreneurship, show them that it is okay to choose this path as a career choice. Africa needs more such people.

And the Entrepreneurship for Parents course is just the right place to begin. The course aims to help parents achieve this by providing concrete strategies that they can immediately put into practice.

You should care about entrepreneurship

The continent’s unemployment rates continue to rise unabated.

The labour population of the African continent is growing faster than the economy is able to generate jobs. This is not necessarily due to stagnation, because African economies have been growing faster than the rest of their global counterparts in recent years. It is rather because the economies were not job-generative.

“This phenomenon points to the need for an entrepreneurial population capable of growing businesses and creating jobs”, stresses Uzo Agyare-Kumi, Dean of Global Programmes and Parents at the Africa Leadership Academy.

“Entrepreneurship, therefore, offers the continent the best and most sustainable solution to ending high unemployment rates.”

Do not let fear of the unknown dim your child’s entrepreneurial light

Many parents to this day consider certain careers a safer bet to a secure future. Careers in engineering, medicine, law and education, for example, are seen as such. But what if the economy is no longer able to create any new opportunities in these fields? Shouldn’t children be taught to create their own income opportunities instead?

“While the fear of the challenges and uncertainties that come with entrepreneurship is understandable, it should be acknowledged that the potential rewards are equally massive. And for children being raised to become important members of society, a career in entrepreneurship creates that opportunity in this day and age”, says Nolizwe Mhlaba, Community and Project Manager at the Anzisha Prize.

Lastly, while it is expected that these fears will at some point set in due to the concerns around instability, uncertainty and hardships, it is important to also remember that entrepreneurship offers more independence, freedoms and flexibility. Parents should also, therefore, where possible, find ways to demonstrate to their children by being entrepreneurial themselves.

“Your actions should show them that it is okay to choose this as a viable career path”, Mhlaba concludes.

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Empowering young people through entrepreneurial education According to the most recent Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report (2019/2020), the entrepreneurial activity of ages 18-44 is lower in South Africa than in any other African region. This is not surprising since South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has been rated one of the most challenging in the world, with almost 50% of South Africans citing fear of failure for not starting a business.

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When it comes to South Africa’s youth, entrepreneurship is touted as the key to combatting the youth unemployment crisis in the country. According to Statistics SA, the current unemployment figure for South Africa stands at 32.6%. One way of changing this statistic is through increasing awareness of the entrepreneurial resources that are available to young people. This was a key message to emerge from a recent career webinar attended by global speakers, and hosted by South African NGO, the Kay Mason Foundation (KMF) – a bursary programme for underprivileged teens.

“Compared to the global trend, South Africa’s rate of entrepreneurial activity is pretty dismal. With all the current challenges in SA, many argue that it’s just too risky, however, SA can offer extraordinary opportunities for growth and revitalisation. The resources for entrepreneurs are available, they just need to be empowered, and from a young age,” says Lauren Bright, CEO of KMF.

Addressing ‘entrepreneurial fatigue’ Speaking on the career’s webinar, Simon Pickett, Director of International Energy Management Company, Eldo, said that there are investors who are always looking to back entrepreneurs.

“There is money out there waiting to back good ideas, both in South Africa and globally, it’s just a matter of connecting the two,” he says.

This is where entrepreneurship education can play a vital role. In KMF’s learner research, lack of funding or capital support is listed as a huge barrier to pursuing an entrepreneurial path.

Grade 12 KMF scholar, Aluthando, from Cape Town says “What stands in my way of being an entrepreneur is funding.

Starting a business requires capital, and I’d have to get a loan. Also, economically South Africa isn’t an ideal place to start a business.”

Grade 10 KMF scholar, Sesethu says that considering entrepreneurship is not viable as she wouldn’t know where to start.

“I fear that I don’t have the knowledge on how to run a successful business.”

Bright emphasises the importance of changing this mindset in young people. She says there is a feeling of powerlessness and ‘entrepreneurial fatigue’ amongst scholars and graduates that needs to be addressed.

The scholarship foundation recently launched its catapult career programme to help learners network and to link them up with mentors in their field of interest.

“Access to resources is so important. We have to bridge the access gap and expose learners at school age already to the options they have. By helping them network and find mentorship, they can get the support they need to pursue their ideas,” says Bright.

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Youngsters in the dark about entrepreneurial resources Speaking on the career webinar, KMF Board Member, EvaMaria Dimitriadis, highlighted the entrepreneurial resources that more young people need to be made aware of.

“For new entrepreneurs there are numerous incubators, accelerators and boot camps designed to help them scale their ideas. These programmes provide access to resources, mentors and training to help leapfrog a few of the initial startup hurdles. Some of them also offer seed funding,” she says.

By supporting potential entrepreneurs early on and equipping them at school level with entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, they can then use these tools to promote self-directed job creation.

Over and above the knowledge and skills needed to start a business, Bright points out that entrepreneurship education holds several other benefits for young people, such as attitudes that they can use in everyday life or future employment situations.

Below she lists key areas she believes can help drive entrepreneurship education in the country: • Reaching young people at school level: By sowing the seed at school level already, learners will be more likely to consider entrepreneurship if they are aware of the support that’s possible.

• Making resources and funding accessible: Government and private funding support are always needed, but more than this,

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it needs to be easier for young learners to qualify for and receive funds. There is currently a gap between what young entrepreneurs need and the funding that’s offered.

• Driving continuous entrepreneurship education: There are a lot of great resources for young learners and graduates, but if they aren’t informed about these resources, they can’t use them. Entrepreneurial programmes, workshops, start-up training, career coaches, etc. need to have their finger on the pulse and continuously equip young people with this knowledge.

Often training is very siloed, but there needs to be a more holistic approach.

• Mentorship and social influence: It’s often assumed that the mentee needs to find the mentor, but mentors can reach out to young people who show an interest in entrepreneurship and initiate the coaching relationship.

We also need to instil entrepreneurial values in learners at a societal and community level.

Kay Mason Foundation CEO, Lauren Bright, has over 20 years’ experience in the events, sponsorship procurement, NPO, fundraising, client service and operational project management arena. She has worked on large scale and global events and prides herself on her ability to adapt, pivot and get things done. She has a bachelor’s degree in African Languages and Industrial Psychology. She is a trained neuro-linguistic programming practitioner and corporate coach, as well as an abstract artist. Lauren was previously the Country Manager for Operation Smile South Africa and started her position as CEO at the Kay Mason Foundation beginning of 2021.

Website www.kmf.co.za Facebook @kaymasonfoundation Instagram @kaymasonfoundation

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Entrepreneurship

How SMEs can attract the best of SA’s youth

using online recruitment platforms

Owners of small- to medium-sized businesses must wear many hats, one of them being able to attract and retain quality talent. According to Stats SA, approximately 68% of South Africa’s labour force falls within the Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Z age brackets. So how do SMEs find the best that our youth has to offer?

The informal and SME sectors are driving many of the employment opportunities in our local labour market. However, SMEs don’t seem to be taking advantage of specialist online recruitment platforms when it comes to promoting these opportunities far and wide, which limits their chances of finding the right talent and making the unseen potential visible.

Currently only 6% of advertised jobs on Pnet’s platform belong to SMEs, compared to 94% job adverts posted by corporates and recruitment agencies.

Unsurprisingly, the youth are using online channels more than any other jobseeker segment. They are online-savvy, and mobile/apps are often their first port-of-call. According to a study from customer management firm Epsilon, Gen Zers are two times more likely to use online-only stores than any other generation. They thrive on self-serve options where they retain control. As such, SMEs are missing out when they don’t advertise their job vacancies on specialist recruitment platforms to access this market.

Both Gen Z and Millennials are “immediate” consumers, in that they expect to access things quickly and easily – whether it’s access to transport through Uber, satiating food cravings through online food orders, or finding their next career opportunity using an online recruitment platform.

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If you’re looking for young and talented individuals to join your business, you need to be aware that User Experience (UX) and Customer Experience (CX) are important to them. As such, using ‘offline’ channels to try and reach them with job vacancies could result in you losing out to other brands who are leveraging the power of online recruitment platforms like that of Pnet.

Leave recruitment to the experts and focus on your core business

That said, posting your job ads on an online platform is only the first step in attracting quality candidates. Hiring the wrong employee can severely impact your business. The good news is that, with the right recruitment partner in place, you can save both time and money.

1. Start with an engaging job advert

To attract the best Gen Y and Gen Z candidates, your job ads need to reflect more than a ‘laundry list’ of requirements.

Purpose is a powerful decider for South Africa’s youth. Their focus is on building careers and making money, but their careers and hobbies feed strongly into their sense of self. This leads them to be both discerning and highly critical.

Your job adverts must be factual, succinct and inspirational. When it comes to creating an ideal online job advert, there are some

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Entrepreneurship

important do’s and don’ts to keep in mind, however, your listing’s success will ultimately depend on the quality of a recruitment portal’s technology combined with its jobseeker database.

“At the end of the day, posting a job advert is not just about making a job sound attractive to the candidate,” says Leigh-Anne Cullen, Pnet’s Product Manager.

“The way the information is integrated into our platform is enabled by our smart matching technology, which focuses on automating screening, optimising selection and eliminating bias from the recruitment process. This is critical when it comes to matching the right candidates to the right roles and significantly affects how job adverts perform.”

The sophistication of specialist online recruitment platforms ensures that the right candidates see your job adverts – not only allowing you to attract fresh talent, but also to find quality candidates who are actively looking to move. And, if you only require a once-off listing, there are eCommerce products that can be purchased online without a subscription.

2. Take the legwork out of discovering talent

In the words of Richard Branson, “If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur, you've got to learn to delegate." In a small-tomedium enterprise, it’s even more critical than in larger organisations to outsource functions to experts so that you can get on with your core business.

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Making use of recruitment services like Pnet’s Response Handling solution can help to make the matching process a seamless one for you. As experts on the Pnet system, they know how to input your job description to get the best performance out of your job ad.

The creation of suitable shortlists and management of the entire process will be done on your behalf, so that you can get on with your core business activities until you’re ready to review the shortlisted candidates and set up time to interview them.

The process is simple. All you’ll need to do is provide a detailed job description, your shortlist criteria and a closing date. We will manage the rest.

First, we’ll generate an advert with a link to a uniquely designed questionnaire, structured to your criteria, to rate and score applicants.

Gen Y and Gen Z individuals tend to be job hoppers, so we streamline your background check strategy by selecting the best applicants first and then screening only the final candidates.

Following this, we will shortlist successful applicants and send out regret letters to unsuccessful applicants. Successful applicants will be shortlisted in a designated folder for you to review.

3. Tap into a bigger talent pool

Online recruitment platforms provide SMEs with access to sizeable databases that make headhunting easier. For example, Pnet’s Direct Search functionality allows you to recruit proactively and headhunt the best candidates in a database of over 3 million jobseekers – reducing time-to-hire and allowing you to filter candidate profiles to a granular level to find an accurate match.

4. Showcase your SME with employer branding

Having the right employer branding in place is another great way to attract the Gen Y and Gen Z talent you’re looking for because these candidates tend to have a thirst for information and an eagerness to learn and grow.

"We've seen clients who have an interesting, attractive and detailed company hubs page on the Pnet platform get better quality candidates and higher applications than those who don't”, says Leandré van der Merwe, Customer Success Manager at Pnet.

“In a competitive employment landscape, having the right employer branding in place enables you to set your SME business apart from the competition – even the seemingly ‘safe’ corporates! You can showcase your brand, your company values, growth opportunities, culture and available vacancies to attract the best candidates,” van der Merwe concludes.

However, it’s important to note that searching the database directly may be extremely time-consuming and time – for SMEs especially – is money. In searching for candidates directly, you may also reach passive candidates who would need some convincing to change jobs. When you place a job advert, on the other hand, you’re more likely to connect with candidates who are actively looking for new career opportunities.

Employer branding allows you to improve your brand presence, regardless of the size of your business. It creates a compelling connection to your services, benefits and culture. You can use employer branding to actively position your business, communicating the key features that make your offering unique, while showcasing benefits and services. From an SEO perspective, employer branding also contributes to your company ranking better on Google.

Whether you opt to invest in a job advert or simply search for candidates using an existing database, specialist online recruitment platforms will usually enable you to communicate with candidates directly; comment on candidate profiles; and send bulk letters of regret. Jobseekers hate being left ‘hanging’ and closing the loop will put your SME in a good light with Gen Y and Gen Z candidates … Even if they aren’t successful in securing the position, at least they will feel heard and seen.

Attracting the best of South Africa’s Youth can be a daunting prospect for SMEs yet hiring the right person for the job is critical to business success. As an SME owner, it is possible to enjoy a seamless recruitment process without having a dedicated HR or talent acquisition manager. Magic happens when specialist online recruitment platforms using world-class technology work with recruiters to attract the right jobseekers to their vacancies.

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Mental Health & Studying

Stress and anxiety

are on the increase for tertiary students

South African university students continue to face an uphill battle.

According to the second annual Insights and Learning Report issued by online crowdfunding platform Feenix, 43% of university students surveyed have pointed out that they need mental health services but can’t access them. This is an increase from 33% in 2020.

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Mental Health & Studying

Apart from a lack of critical resources, the impact of the pandemic, remote learning, student debt, and a variety of other socioeconomic pressures are all adding to the stress and anxiety levels of students.

Feenix is committed to the success of university students by monitoring, learning, and responding to their needs.

The insights from the report assist the organisation in understanding all the challenges that might affect a young person’s ability to achieve upward mobility and financial independence.

It also allows Feenix to share learnings

with education stakeholders that could highlight opportunities for collaboration and funding.

Based on the findings, one student noted, “I had and still have a lot of breakdowns due to the academic and financial pressure”.

“Due to the pandemic, being a student felt very isolating, I did not get any support whether emotionally or academically from fellow students,” pointed out another respondents of the report.

Financial assistance alone is not enough

SA only now starting to see the full negative impact of the pandemic This trend echoes a report by global management consultancy firm Kearney, which indicated that South Africa is only now starting to see the full negative impact of the pandemic and its reduced socialisation, limited schooling, and challenging mental health conditions.

“Despite the many challenges faced over the last two years, South Africans are still resilient. Students even more so,” says Petersen.

She says that, according to the report, 88% of respondents indicated that they were on track to complete their degrees within the allocated time or have completed them already.

“A big part of this is thanks to organisations like Feenix, who are finding new and innovative ways to assist students with mentoring, training, and financial resources,” she adds.

Cara-Jean Petersen, the Student Advancement Manager at Feenix, explains that financial assistance alone is not enough.

“While access to funding is paramount, so is assistance with other resources like food, accommodation, transport, and data to mitigate the additional stressors that contribute to the mental health challenges seen in tertiary institutions.”

“More than this, mental health and other developmental resources and support are also critically needed,” she adds.

Based on the findings of the report, many students responded with feedback that pointed to them going through a state of depression and anxiety because they did not have the funds for their fees and accommodation.

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“Last year I thought it was the end of my future, but the moment I received a donation from a funder via Feenix all doors started opening, and I regained hope about life. Now that I’m fully funded, I’m currently doing my internship, and next year I will be able to graduate,” said one of the students in the report.

“Education leads to economic participation and upward mobility for a growing youth population. With the right support and resources, there is hope to turn the tide on the challenges that prevent thousands of university students from thriving,” says Petersen.

* The names of respondents have been withheld in the interest of their privacy.

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Unemployment

Opinion: Private sector has a crucial role to play in reducing youth unemployment South Africa’s youth unemployment levels have reached a crisis point. Youth of today is the workforce of tomorrow, and they are the ones who should be earning and spending and keeping the economy circulating.

By Lucinda Alfonica, Commercial Manager at Workforce Staffing

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Unemployment

However, we find ourselves in a situation where businesses only want to hire people with experience, and youth cannot gain experience as they cannot get jobs. So, what’s the solution? The labour market needs to be restructured to make it more youth friendly, and the private sector needs to step up to the plate by participating more fully in learnerships, apprenticeships and other youth experience programmes.

A vicious cycle

Job experience is often a critical requirement of any job specification, yet this is one area where youth are typically lacking. In a market where budgets are tight, employers are now, more than ever, looking for ‘perfect’ candidates to fill open roles.

The reality though is that the perfect candidate does not exist, and if the youth are never given the opportunity to gain the skills they need, there will eventually be nobody to hire. There is currently a significant structural mismatch when it comes to hiring policies, which is only exacerbating an already problematic situation.

Taking the youth into consideration

By the same token, the youth also need to get involved in finding internships, actively seeking employment and looking to gain skills and experience in areas that are in high demand, to make themselves more employable.

Realistic expectations

While it is understandable that with limited resources at hand, companies wish to hire the best possible candidates, yet there also needs to be a realistic expectation set, and the required skill and qualification level needs to match the salary on offer. Often, it will be more cost effective and beneficial in the long term to grow people from an entry-level position and develop the youth to help them move up in the organisation.

By the same token, the youth also need to get involved in finding internships, actively seeking employment and looking to gain skills and experience in areas that are in high demand, to make themselves more employable.

This includes basic computer skills, which have become imperative for practically every job as we move into a more digital world. The reality though is that many skills necessary to thrive in a workplace can only be learned on the job, and temporary employment services (TES) can be hugely valuable here.

Eventually, if the current cycle continues, there will not be any candidates for jobs who are both qualified and experienced. The private sector, in its own best interest, needs to become more heavily invested in providing job experience to unemployed youth, so that they will in future be able to contribute meaningfully toward economic growth and participation.

Matching people with opportunities Social media and having an online presence can be excellent job-seeking tools, but there is When it comes to talent growth still a digital divide in South Africa that puts this out of reach for many. TES providers offer a and planning, it is important to physical presence for such individuals to visit, bring their CVs and register on the database. consider youth, because it offers The TES provider will then match the job seeker with available positions and provide skills the opportunity to develop development and training where necessary. potential employees into lasting positions within the company, TES providers service multiple industries and provide a large pool of opportunities, often while creating more workforce with flexible employment options that enable staff to gain experience in a broad range of diversity to attract a broader industries. A reputable TES can be a link between the private sector and the unemployed customer base. youth, bridging the gap and helping them to gain much-needed experience to make themselves more employable in the future.

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Education Financing

Infrastructure can increase

access to education When infrastructure is not accessible, functional and efficient, major disruptions are experienced throughout the ecosystem. These disruptions hinder development, causing economic deficit and perpetuating inequality and poor standards of living.

By Nangamso Matebese-Maponya

Impact of infrastructure on students While collecting stories from women for my “Investing in Women Centric Transport” podcast, I was overwhelmed by responses from young female students in particular, and how poor transport systems affect their daily (study) lives. Transport availability and quality, travel time and cost have all proven to have a huge potential to influence their field of study and whether they even make it to the end of their studies.

One participant said, “I had to stay in the library until late to access internet and be able to complete my assignments. This meant I will take a 22h00 bus home, which took a route that will drop me far from home. I had to ask male friends and family to wait for me at the bus stop, so they could walk me home. I risked my life many times to get my degree. Some of my friends dropped out of their studies because of this safety issue.”

Another glaringly horrifying story for me was witnessing students living in informal settlements, including all kinds of unhealthy and unsafe dwellings, which made me wonder what we deem access to education to be. Whether we consider a conducive environment to be vital in providing access to education, and if we see this as directly linked to availability of and access to infrastructure.

became another issue for some, and some did not even have devices to be able to access study material remotely.

At the peak of Covid-19 lockdowns, we got exposed to the plight and the state of poor infrastructure when students could not join or stay connected online lectures because of poor or lack of stable internet connectivity in remote areas. High costs of data

There is strong evidence that high-quality infrastructure facilitates better instruction, improves student outcomes, and reduces dropout rates, among other benefits. (World Bank Blogs, 2017)

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Education Financing

How to funders play a role?

Bursary providers have a major role to play in providing access to education and have been successfully doing so for the longest time. Can we perhaps elevate their good work by putting a spotlight on the role of infrastructure in accessing education?

access to the internet.

• Proactive support is needed for students from the government, educational institutions, and private companies to ensure each student has access to quality education

Research done by World Wide Web Foundation in Bangladesh (www.webfoundation.org, 2021), highlighted the following as key areas to consider in making education accessible: • Students need better access to infrastructure that allows them to have a stable internet connection. This includes electricity supply. Consideration should be given to not only the availability of the infrastructure but also the quality that can meet the growing demand for high bandwidth internet traffic.

• To make education accessible to all, educational approaches should consider each student’s socio-cultural and socioeconomic circumstances, as it is not just a matter of technical availability of internet access for students to attend classes.

• The cost structure of mobile internet access should be addressed to support students who do not have unlimited

While providing funding for tuition, and food and books gives so many students access to education and alleviates frustrations around basic needs, there is certainly a more significant role these funders can consider playing in accelerating access to education and increasing a talent pool for the corporate and business world. Some include the following: • Partnering with Government, learning institutions and private sector to finance and/or deliver infrastructure to meet students’ educational and social needs – student accommodation, alternative energy source, student transport systems etc.

• Providing students with IT devices, decent internet connectivity, uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and other interventions to minimise interruptions with their studies.

Infrastructure

Programmes like the Student Housing Infrastructure Programme (SHIP) led by the DHET and NSFAS, Micro Grid and Embedded Energy Generation programmes and others, are some of the opportunities these institutions can participate in to accelerate access to infrastructure for students.

Though many infrastructure programmes are designed to promote a coordinated and centralised delivery approach, there are opportunities for interested parties (like corporates who provide bursaries) to participate in and reduce the burden on students’ lives and institutions associated with access to education.

Design Growth

Parting shot

While recognising the significant role played by bursary providers in increasing access to education, which has given so many learners, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, a chance in life. This article calls on the same and more institutions to think more strategically about their possible contribution in increasing access to quality and efficient infrastructure to students, improving their chances of success in their studies, thereby contributing to a greater pool of well trained and skilled professionals for corporates and our economy.

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Nangamso MatebeseMaponya is an infrastructure finance professional, with over 14 years of experience in development finance institutions in South Africa, who has participated and led several infrastructure projects in the continent, across different sectors.

She hosts a podcast titled “Investing in Womencentric transport” focusing on elevating the role of infrastructure access and efficient designs towards the growth of the society.

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Bursaries

Funding opportunities

for learners in SA Bursaries are important as they lighten the financial burden of acquiring education. Education is a basic need in the 21st Century, whether you choose formal employment or entrepreneurship. Education can play a key role in helping to solve current and future social, economic and other issues. So, what bursaries are available?

Read on to find out...

Western Cape Provincial Treasury Bursaries are available to Grade 12 learners and post- and undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in: Economics; Finance; Accounting & Auditing; Supply Chain Management; Built Environment and Project Management (preferably Construction Economics/Management; Population Studies; Transport Economics or related courses); and Information Sciences, Data Science and Statistics.

Applications close on 31 August 2022.

For more information, visit www.westerncape.gov.za/provincialtreasury/bursaries-ca-academy/bursaries

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Bursaries

Accenture Education Trust The Accenture Education Trust assists students whose family income ranges from R350 000 to R1 million a year and NSFAS postgraduate students with a household income of less than R300 000 a year. Applicants must be academically strong with a cumulative average of above 65% in a study towards technology-aligned degrees at select tertiary Institutions in South Africa.

Successful candidates will receive a full scholarship. The bursary programme covers registration fees, tuition fees, examination fees, meals, residence, book allowance for prescribed books and a laptop. Additionally, the scholarship is backed up by ongoing mentorship.

Applications close on 16 October 2022.

For more information, visit www.accenture.com/za-en/careers/local/accenture-scholarships-south-africa

Sappi Sappi offers bursaries in the following fields of study: Chemical Engineering; Civil Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Forestry and Wood Science; Industrial Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; and Mechatronics Engineering.

Applicants should have an average of 70% in Mathematics (not Maths Literacy), 70-80% in Physical Science and 60% in English and have qualifying points for entrance at the university or acceptance confirmation. Current university results will be considered for undergraduate students.

Applications close on 30 September 2022.

For more information, visit www.sappi.com/bursaries-and-scholarships

The Ernst & Ethel Ericksen Trust The Ernst & Ethel Ericksen Trust was established by Ethel Eriksen in the early 1980s and covers study grants for Masters and Doctorate Degrees. Students must be South African citizens and be studying at a South African university.

Applications close on 30 September 2022.

For more information, visit www.eriksentrust.co.za

The Maize Trust Applicants are invited to apply for postgraduate bursaries with the Maize Trust to further their studies within the maize industry. The Maize Trust bursaries are only awarded to Masters and Doctoral studies, and the field of study must be relevant to the South African maize industry. Annual bursary amounts will be determined by the Maize Trust each year.

Applications close on 30 September 2022.

For more information, visit www.agrimanage.co.za/maize-trust-bursary-application/#collapse957554578

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Bursaries

The Sasol Agriculture Trust Sasol Agriculture Trust bursaries are only awarded to Masters and Doctoral studies, and the field of study must be relevant to the South African agricultural industry.

Applications close on 30 September 2022.

For more information, visit www.agrimanage.co.za/the-sasol-agriculture-trust-bursary/

The Sorghum Trust Applicants are invited to apply for postgraduate scholarships with Sorghum Trust to further their studies within the sorghum industry. The basic requirements for application of a scholarship with Sorghum Trust are: Applicants must be South African citizens and must be admitted to study full-time with the institution of their choice.

Sorghum Trust scholarships are only awarded to Masters and Doctoral studies.

The proposal for the dissertation/thesis must be approved by the Sorghum Trust before commencement with the studies.

Upon application, the Sorghum Trust requires: • A completed application form.

• A certified copy of a South African identity document/passport.

• Updated curriculum vitae.

• The latest academic transcript/record on an official letterhead.

• Proof of registration and a fee statement (if available).

• A formal scholarship agreement is to be concluded with Sorghum Trust should a scholarship be awarded.

• A supervisor for the study programme must be designated by the university where the study will be undertaken and must be approved by Sorghum Trust.

• It is the responsibility of the student to inform the supervisor that he/she will be required to register with the particular bursary scheme on our website. The URL address must be provided by either the student or upon request.

• Applicants will be expected to work in the South African sorghum industry for the same period for which a scholarship was awarded.

• Annual scholarship amounts will be determined by Sorghum Trust each year.

Applications close on 30 September 2022.

For more information, visit www.agrimanage.co.za/the-sorghum-trust-scholarship

SA Cultivar & Technology Agency (SACTA) Applicants are invited to apply for postgraduate bursaries with SACTA to further their studies within the grain and oilseeds breeding and technology industry.

SACTA bursaries are only awarded to Honours, Masters and Doctoral studies.

Annual bursary amounts will be determined by SACTA each year.

Applications close on 30 September 2022.

For more information, visit www.agrimanage.co.za/sacta-trust-bursary/

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Bursaries

The Department Of Agriculture, Land Reform And Rural Development bursary awards for 2023 The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) intends to award comprehensive bursaries to qualifying applicants pursuing and/or intending to further their studies in identified careers in the agriculture, land reform and rural development sector for the 2023 academic year. The bursary will cover tuition, accommodation, books, meals and a monthly allowance. The bursary awards target the previously disadvantaged and impoverished persons from poverty-stricken and rural communities. People with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Applications close on 31 October 2022.

Fields of study

Minimum requirements (National Senior Certificate)

Enquiries

1. B.Sc. Bioresource Engineering (Agricultural Engineering) 2. Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc.)

Mathematics and Physical Science: 6 (70-79)

Mr Tshianeo Khangala Tel: (012) 319 7015

3. B.Sc. Animal Science 4. B.Sc. Entomology 5. B.Sc. Food Science 6. B.Sc. Pasture Science 7. B.Sc. Plant Pathology 8. B.Sc. Viticulture and Oenology

Mathematics and Physical Science : 5 (60–69)

Mr Vusimuzi Mngomezulu Tel: (012) 319 7923

9. National Diploma: Food Technology

Mathematics and Physical Science: 4 (50–59)

10. B .Sc. Land Surveying/ Geomatics 11. B.Sc. Town/Urban and Regional Planning 12. B.Sc. Geo-informatics/Geographic Information Science

Mathematics and Physical Science/Geography: 5 (60 – 69)

Ms Nozipho Mtshali Cell: 082 775 0590 Tel: (012) 326 8050

13. N ational Diploma/B Degree in Geomatics/Land Surveying/GIS 14. National Diploma/B Degree in Town/Urban and Regional Planning

Mathematics and Physical Science 4 (50–59)

Mr Emmanuel Molefe Cell: 082 827 6245 Tel: (012) 326 8050

15. Postgraduate studies (B.Tech/ Advance Diploma, B.Sc. Hons, M.Sc., D.Tech. and Ph.D.) in DALRRD priority research projects.

• Applicants must be South African citizens.

• Applicants must complete the relevant bursary application forms available from the website address: www.dalrrd.gov.za (Click on vacancies).

• Applicants who apply for fields of study that are not listed above will not be considered.

• Please note that communication will be limited to successful applicants only. If you have not received any communication from the department within 14 days after the release of Grade 12 results and after the National Bursary Committee has finalised the selection process, consider your application unsuccessful.

• No late application forms will be considered.

• Applicants who are not in possession of their university acceptance letter or final results can submit their application while waiting for the said documents.

• The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) reserves the right to determine the total number of bursary allocations for the academic year based on the total budget available.

• All completed bursary application forms together Postal Address: Physical Address with certified copies The Director Agriculture Place of ID and certificates/ Directorate: Sector Education and Training 20 Steve Biko (Former Beatrix) Street performance results should Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Arcadia, Pretoria Private Bag X250 0002 be sent to ONLY ONE of Pretoria the following addresses: 0001

Email address: Externalbursaries@dalrrd.gov.za

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AA Technical College –

getting the right tools for the future Trained and skilled artisans are often the unseen heroes of many organisations although they are the cogs that keep companies on the road.

Without their skills many companies would not be able to keep their vehicles operational and their contribution to the bottom line is therefore immense. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of skilled artisans in the automotive industry with fewer people entering the profession than is needed.

To address this, the Automobile Association of South Africa NPC (AA) launched its Technical College which was awarded accreditation as a training provider on 21 June 2006, for the facilitation of the full learnership qualifications of Autotronics and Maintaining Vehicles as well as apprentice training in the trades of: Automotive Electrician, Automotive Engine Fitter, Diesel Fitter, Diesel Fuel Injection Technician, Diesel Mechanic and Motor Mechanic (accreditation number: 17-QA/ACC/0023/06).

Skilled artisans play a crucial role in any company “Skilled artisans play a crucial role in any company as they reduce down time and maintenance costs for businesses with big fleets. And, they are employable across a wide variety of industries from mining and agriculture to construction and transport. Many government departments also rely heavily on automotive artisans to keep their vehicles on the road,” says Werner Wandrey, National Technical Training Manager at the AA Technical College (AATC).

Since its inception in 2006, around 1 200 students a year have passed through the AATC’s learning centre, qualifying in a range of different disciplines.

“We train people to become automotive electricians, diesel mechanics, diesel fuel injection technicians, motor mechanics (petrol), diesel fitters and automotive engine fitters. When these students leave us, they leave with a nationally accepted and useful qualification, with which

they will be a scarce resource in a competitive economy,” says Wandrey.

Two main streams of learning

There are two main streams of learning offered at the AATC: Competency Based Modular Training (CBMT) and learnerships that are NQF aligned. There are different courses within each of these streams.

“There are huge benefits to companies sending staff on these courses. The error ratio is reduced and the quality of work of the artisans who have been through our doors is markedly improved.

There is great value in people attending these courses – not only for themselves personally but also for the companies who send them to us,” explains Wandrey.

AATC is an accredited training facility

Importantly the AATC is an accredited training facility and trade test centre. Accreditation has been awarded by the Department of Higher Education and The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). As such AATC can provide training for companies no matter which Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) skills levies are paid to.

Each of the courses offered at the ranges from between 18 months and four years with the artisans then leaving with a formal qualification.

“I think we understand the market extremely well and are teaching quality artisans here; after all, when they leave, they will say the AATC trained them, so we work hard to keep the highest standards,” he says.

And this hard work is paying off judging by the quality of clients who send their learners to the AATC for training. Among these are, OEM’s, Dealers, Groups and even the SME aftermarket.

AATC can be contacted on 086 133 3668 or email: aatrainingjhb@aasa.co.za

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