SABC EDUCATION

“Digitisation offers a different viewing experience”

SABC Head of Project Management, Tseliso Ralithabo, says digitisation is a different viewing and listening experience that is aimed at improving the lives of citizens across the country.

Communications Minister Faith Muhtambi is currently in the Northern Cape where she is switching on the first government subsidised digital set-top-box, moving over to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

Speaking during the launch, Ralithabo says that digitisation enables people from all parts of the country to listen to all of the broadcaster's 19 radio channels.

He also says that the DTT enables viewers to watch the SABC 24 Hour News Channel and Encore channel available on DSTV. Muthambi encourages all residents in the Northern Cape to go migrate to DTT and register for the set-top-boxes.

The boxes will be distributed to registered residents for free.

Ti view the video for more details, click here.

Higher Education News

Novus Academy wins SETA award for excellence in skills development

 

At its Skills Development Recognition Awards 2014/2015, the Fibre Processing & Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FP&M SETA) recognised Novus Academy, the training facility of leading printing and manufacturing operation Novus Holdings, for Best Practice Workplace Provider in the Apprenticeships category.

Novus Academy staff celebrating their award win, back row: Elicia van Schoor, Nelia Burger, Owen America, Paulo Santos and in the front row: Miena van Staden, Wynoma Joseph and Hazel Carelse.

The Awards recognise leading projects from various organisations that make outstanding contributions to skills development in South Africa. Winning projects were selected from 91 entries received from different organisations covering 13 sub-sectors, namely the clothing, footwear, forestry, furniture, general goods, leather, packaging, printing, print media, publishing, pulp and paper, textiles and wood products.

"We are very honoured to receive this recognition. Our passion for training and having noted the shortage of specialised skills in the marketplace prompted us to establish the Novus Academy in 2011. Over the years we have built a world-class facility dedicated to providing the most advanced training in order to strengthen the skills level of future generations in the print industry," said Nico Grobbelaar, executive head of Human Resources at Novus Holdings, previously known as the Paarl Media Group.

The Novus Academy has set the benchmark for industry training accredited by SETA and the City & Guilds of London Institute. Apprenticeships are offered in 13 specialised areas which include mechanised book binding, web offset heatset lithography, web offset coldset lithography, web offset sheetfed lithography, gravure printing, gravure cylinder preparation, roll label flexographic printing, electronic pre-press flexography, electronic pre-press lithography, electronic pre-press screen printing, electronic pre-press gravure, printers mechanic and printers electrician.

"We further facilitate non-technical management and leadership development to continuously advance the skills of our employees and help build their careers. We give our employees the opportunity to learn, grow and excel at their jobs through the offering of a variety of technical, life-skills, management, leadership, IT and systems related courses and a host of other programmes facilitated by the Novus Academy. We also provide our customers with access to training that empowers them to manage their own projects efficiently," concludes Grobbelaar.

Primary & Secondary Education News

Schools receive R140,000 in recycling competition

 

Mpact Recycling has awarded R140,000 in prizes to 34 schools around the country in its Ronnie Recycler Schools Competition, which allows schools to raise funds, while educating schoolchildren on environmental awareness.

© pictrough – 123RF.com

Nursery, primary and high schools, registered with Mpact Recycling in Gauteng, were required to supply the company with a minimum of 8000 kgs of paper between 2 June - 2 October 2015.

Each of the areas had a prize allocation of R20,000 and the schools collecting the most amount of paper in their area were declared the winners, receiving a prize valued at R10,000, with their green ambassador and green student being awarded R1,000 cash each. The remaining funds were shared between the other top achieving schools according to the amount of paper collected.

"The competition, which was launched this year, aims to encourage learners to be more environmentally aware and educate them about how important it is to recycle paper," says John Hunt, MD of Mpact Recycling. "Each year, the company collects around 450,000 tons of paper for recycling, which means less paper going into landfills."

Top schools

Cape Town

• Rondebosch United Play Centre
• Kenridge Primary School
• Muizenburg Junior School
• Hoerskool DF Malan
• Tygerberg High School
• Habibia Primary

Richards Bay

• St Catherine's High School Empangeni
• Richards Bay Primary School
• Kwa Vulindlela Primary School

Pretoria

• Lynnwood Ridge Primary
• St Paulus
• Waterkloof Primary

KwaZulu-Natal

• Kloof Senior Primary School
• Atholl Heights Primary School
• La Lucia Junior Primary
• Chelsea Prep. - Chelsea Campus
• Morningside Primary School
• Virginia Prep School

Gauteng

• Laerskool Morewag
• Summerhill School
• Creative Academy Pre School and Baby Centre (Pty)
• Craighall Primary School
• Orion College
• Twinkle Little Stars
• Strubenvale Primary School
• St Martins Prep School
• Selcourt Primary School

For more information, go www.mpactrecycling.co.za.

Skills Training News

Absa launches ReadytoWork in South Africa

 

Following the successful roll-out of 'ReadytoWork' in six countries, Absa, part of the Barclays Africa Group, launched the employability initiative, which helps to train and equip young people for the world of work, in South Africa today, 2 December 2015.

© Cathy Yeulet – 123RF.com

ReadytoWork is a free training curriculum that seeks to empower young people with the training and skills they need to enhance their employability and entrepreneurial prospects. It provides access to world class learning content, focused on work, people, money and entrepreneurial skills, through online content, face-to-face training and work exposure.

The ReadytoWork initiative is currently operating in Zambia, Seychelles, Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius and Zimbabwe. After receiving support from the MEC of Education in Gauteng, the curriculum is now available in some schools across the province, with further schools to follow in Limpopo and Free State.

One of the key focus areas for Barclays Africa is Education and Skills Development, primarily to help the next generation get the skills and opportunities they need to transition into work or entrepreneurship.

Sazini Mojapelo, Barclays Africa Head of Citizenship says: "A key priority of our Citizenship strategy is to help young people gain access to the skills and opportunities they need to unlock their potential. We have identified education and skills development as a space in which it can make a sustainable contribution through initiatives such as ReadytoWork. Our launch here comes at an opportune time, helping young people across the country who have completed their exams to prepare for the next phase in their lives - the world of work."

In South Africa, more than 30%* of young people are unemployed and under-employed, highlighting how critical it is that young people are provided with the practical skills they need to successfully make the critical transition from education to the world of work.

ReadytoWork aims to support job seekers and entrepreneurs who have the aptitude, attitude, and ambition to achieve beyond the opportunities that have been given to them. The ultimate goal is to give young people a choice to either better develop their employability prospects or to become self-employed through starting their own businesses.

For more information on ReadytoWork, visit: www.absa.co.za/readytowork

* Statistics South Africa. "Quarterly Labour Force Survey". 2013

Infrastructure and Technology News

UCT students named winners of Greenovate Awards

 

Students from the University of Cape Town scooped both first and second prizes in the inaugural Growthpoint Greenovate Awards.

Greenovate Award winners (L-R) UCT team of Dijon Ross, Miekie van der Merwe and Rowan McKenzie

The awards programme is an initiative launched by Growthpoint Properties in association with the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) earlier this year. It is designed to inspire and encourage students of the built environment to discover, explore and invent ways to live more sustainably.

The Growthpoint Greenovate Awards was piloted at the University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand and University of Pretoria in 2015. For its premier programme, students were challenged to come up with ideas that would result in a research project that promotes a more sustainable built environment. Their projects could be applied to any aspect of a building - design, development, planning, construction, materials - anything that makes the way we live greener and our environmental footprint lighter.

Pioneering projects

"Everyone is a winner when innovation for a greener, healthier, more sustainable environment is nurtured. The university students taking part in the Greenovate Awards, and the winners in particular, presented pioneering projects. Their smart and inspiring thinking shows how we can drive green building thinking forward, to ensure a better, greener future," Werner van Antwerpen, head of sustainability at Growthpoint Properties, explains.

The winners of the Greenovate Awards are the UCT team of Rowan McKenzie, Dijon Ross and Miekie van der Merwe, with supervisor Saul Nurick. They focused on the role of the IPD Green Property Indicator in the South African property market.

This team took home R30,000 in prize money. They will also be fully sponsored to attend the GBCSA's Green Building Convention in 2016. Here they will present their research project to property professionals and green leaders from around the country and across the continent. They will also be treated to green building tours to get an insider's perspective on some of South Africa's most innovative green buildings.

The UCT team taking second place, supervised by Dr Kathy Michell, comprised Alex Demetrious, Daniel Searle and Ken Toplis. They examined urban facilities management and the development of a sustainability rating tool for urban precincts. These students used the Central City Improvement District (CCID) of Cape Town as their case study. The team earned a prize of R8,000 for their insightful project, as well as tickets to the Green Building Convention in 2016.

ECI framework

The third placed group came from University of the Witwatersrand. The team included Amy McGregor, Thabo Mthuthu and Wardah Peters, and was supervised by Dr Dave Root. This group researched an early contractor involvement (ECI) framework to improve sustainability and green building practice in the construction industry. They won R2,000 and tickets to the Green Building Convention 2016.

"The award entries were all of an outstanding calibre. They show an exciting new wave of green thinking. Equally inspiring is the exposure that the many property, construction and quantity surveying third year and honours level students are getting to green building principles as a result the Growthpoint Greenovate Awards Programme. By learning about green building and sustainability early in their careers, the positive impacts this next generation of property professionals will have on our urban environment will benefit all South Africans hugely," Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the GBCSA, says.

Higher Education News

2016 Mandela Rhodes Scholars

The Mandela Rhodes Foundation has selected 49 new Mandela Rhodes Scholars, who make up the Class of 2016. The scholars were selected at final interviews in Johannesburg and Cape Town in November. The programme has awarded 325 scholarships since the programme was established in 2004. During their time in residence, Mandela Rhodes Scholars pursue postgraduate studies and participate in customised leadership development programmes.

 







Here they are in alphabetical order:

1. Ajibola Adigun, 27
2. Binyam Alemayehu, 28
3. Simon Batamya Aseno, 28
4. Natasha Ashley, 22
5. Melody Asukile, 27
6. Ajohche Awungjia, 23
7. Colin Besaans, 20
8. Zenzo Chakara, 24
9. Natalia Dambe, 24
10. Tamika Fellows, 22
11. Kerstin Hall, 21
12. Musawwir Hassan, 24
13. Mary Jiyani, 21
14. Barbara Karuana, 25
15. Refiloe Kekana, 21
16. Eva Kimani, 21
17. Tshepang Mabusela, 25
18. Pilela Majokweni, 24
19. Nkateko Manganye, 21
20. Nompumelelo Manzini, 21
21. Qaphela Mashalaba, 21
22. Fredy Mashate, 23
23. Blessing Masuku, 23
24. Mulweli Mathagu, 21
25. Ayisha Mavhunga, 27
26. Mfundo Mdletshe, 21
27. Musa Mdunge, 21
28. Sicelimpilo Mguni, 23
29. Jolynne Mokaya, 24
30. Moretlo Moleli, 22
31. Lethabo Motswaledi, 21
32. Rethabile Mphutlane, 25
33. Trisha Mpofu, 23
34. Sidney Muhangi, 25
35. James Mutegi, 22
36. Tinotendaishe Muzofa, 22
37. Fairchance Ncube, 23
38. Linus Ndambuki, 21
39. Loise Ndegwa, 22
40. Sebenzile Nkambule, 25
41. Ofentse Noko, 22
42. Henry Owen, 24
43. Axolile Qina, 23
44. Kholiwe Simeon, 23
45. Julia Standish-White, 21
46. Candice Thikeson, 23
47. Emily van der Merwe, 21
48. Tessa Ware, 22
49. Mina Yousseif, 24

For more information, go to www.mandelarhodes.org.

Higher Education News

Shoprite launches bursary programme

 

For the first time, the Shoprite Group is providing R20 million financial study assistance for pharmacy, accounting and retail related university and technical degrees to matriculants. With only a few bursaries left, those who have not yet been successful in raising funds for their studies next year should hurry, as the closing date is Saturday 12 December 2015.

Bursaries are awarded for scarce skills programmes such as pharmacy and chartered accounting, along with qualifications such as logistics and supply chain management, information technology, industrial engineering, hospitality and retail business management and marketing. Candidates may qualify for a bursary of up to R70,000, depending on the course of study and institution, which allows for tuition, book and accommodation fees. Each bursary granted is linked to a work back agreement with Shoprite, with career growth prospects within the group thereafter.

The group has awarded more than 2,500 bursaries over the past 20 years of its bursary programme, 70% of which was allocated in the past five years alone, as the need for student financial support became greater.

To apply, go to http://shopritebemore.com.

Lucian Peterson from Kuils River (Cape Town) received his first study bursary from the Shoprite Group in 2009 whilst enrolled for a Bachelor of Accounting degree. He has since completed his studies, qualified as a Chartered Accountant and was appointed as a Trainee Divisional Financial Manager on 1 December 2015 on successful completion of the Group’s South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) approved CA training programme.

LEAP continues

In 2016, the group will also be sponsoring a learner from each of the seven Langa Educational Assistance Programme (LEAP) Science and Math School's campuses in Gauteng, Limpopo and the Western Cape for the year. The programme was established in Langa, but has since expanded throughout the country. With mathematics, physical science and English as compulsory subjects, LEAP provides free education to promising grade 8-12 pupils from high-need communities whilst focussing on the emotional and social development of these learners.

Shoprite also contributes to the SAICA's Thuthuka Bursary Fund, which is specifically geared to support financially needy students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.