YES YOU CAN still achieve your dreams of earning a dignified living and becoming financially independent!
Last week, the Department of Education released the national matric results for the class of 2018. IkamvaYouth announced a provisional matric pass rate of 81% and celebrations have been taking place at branches across the country. Chances are, you may be pleased with your results, and may even have received your final confirmation of acceptance at your chosen tertiary institution. If this is you, CONGRATS!
If you haven’t done as well as you’d hoped though, don’t worry- It’s not the end of the world. Failing matric or not getting accepted at university doesn’t mean the end of your journey towards earning a dignified living and becoming financially independent. You have a number of options available to you:
- Re-marking/re-checking your exam scripts
- June NSC exam (previously supplementary exams)
- Re-doing your matric
- Vocational training options/ learnerships
Re-marking/re-checking
Firstly, perhaps you were quite surprised by the results you received, and feel the results are not a true reflection of your performance, it might be worth getting your paper/s re-checked or re-marked. You can request to have your scripts re-checked or re-marked at your school (see detailed instructions on the reverse side of your Statement of Results) or on the eGov portal, at www.eservices.gov.za. The deadline for manual requests for a re-check/re-mark is 18 January 2019, AND 20 January 2019 for online applications. Please be advised that the cost per subject, of a re-mark is R105.00 and R25.00 for a re-check.
June NSC exam (previously supplementary exams)
Another option available to you is to register to write the May/June NSC exams. These exams have replaced what was previously known as Supplementary Exams, which were written in February/March. This means that you have more time to prepare for the exams, so be sure to make use of this time! The June NSC exams allows candidates to re-write as many subjects as they need, including failed subjects or subjects they just wish to improve. The deadline for registration for the NSC June exams is 31 January 2019. Please CLICK HERE to access the Department of Education website for further details about the June NSC exams.
Re-doing your matric
If you feel you may not be prepared to write the June NSC exams, but are still determined to complete your matric, you can opt to re-enroll for the NSC as a full time candidate. Rather than simply registering with the Department and aiming to study for the end of year exams on your own, It’s really important that you find a school or institution where you can attend classes and receive support during the year. There are a number of institutions you can go to that offer support with re-doing matric, the following are just a few to get you started on your search (Check out THIS article for more!):
| Institution |
Location |
Contact |
| St Francis Adult Education Centre |
Cape Town |
CLICK HERE for the website |
| Gadra Education |
Grahamstown |
CLICK HERE for the website |
| KZN Matric Excellence |
Durban |
031 373 6391 |
| Damelin Correspondence |
Multiple locations |
CLICK HERE for the website |
| Second Chance Matric Programme |
National |
CLICK HERE for the website |
Vocational options/ Learnerships
Pursuing studies at a TVET college is a great option for students interested in vocational qualifications. Some TVET colleges don’t require a matric! For a list of all the Public TVET colleges in South Africa, CLICK HERE.
Learnerships are a great way to gain a post-matric qualification, while gaining valuable on-the-job training. Requirements for learnerships vary, so it’s important to check if you qualify before applying. CLICK HERE for more information about learnerships, and browse available learnerships HERE.
Central Applications Clearing House
The task of searching for alternative opportunities in January can be quite daunting. Especially after not managing to get accepted at the institutions you may have applied to last year! Thankfully, the Department of Higher Education and Training has established a Central Application Service, which is aimed at making this process simpler. The service “aims to match applicants’ exam results and study preferences with places that need to be filled” at various institutions. To sign up for this service, CLICK HERE.
Even if your matric results weren’t as great as you’d hoped, there are many alternative routes to achieving your dreams. And remember, IkamvaYouth is here to help you every step of the way!
Since 2003, IkamvaYouth has over 1000 learners complete their matric. Our alumni are encouraged to continue to be involved in the organisation as tutors and mentors, and can even see themselves working for the organisation as interns/full time staff members, or even serving on the board!
Zukile Keswa (Zuks), joined the organisation as a grade 11 learner in 2004. During his tertiary studies, he came back to IkamvaYouth to serve as a volunteer tutor. Zuks was the first alumn to become an IkamvaYouth staff member in 2011, starting as the Makhaza Branch Assistant. Since then, he’s held a number of roles in the organisation, and is now the Gugs Comp Branch Coordinator.
This year, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming quite a few of our alumni back to IkamvaYouth as staff members. One such alumn, is Phelela Mokwana, who matriculated in 2008. Here’s what she had to say about her new role in the organisation:
“I was once a learner at Ikamva during my high school days from 2006-2008. I’m now working as a B.A for Makhaza branch. My experience working at Ikamva is amazing. I’ve started working during winter school 2016, It just reminded me of the days when I was a student, seeing learners engaging themselves in the the tutoring space and the commitment of tutors has just reminded me of why I came back to work for Ikamva.
Through the journey of being in and out of companies has just made me discover my potential which is
working in empowering young minds, helping them to achieve good results, helping them to become positive role model in their communities and have a dignified living.“
Phillip Mcelu, who matriculated back in 2006, just joined the team this month. This is what he had to say about coming back to IkamvaYouth:
“I am happy to have found my way back to the IY family, as I am an alumnus from the Makhaza class of 2006! I’ve been working in the ICT industry for the last 5 years and am excited to be starting as the Tech Coordinator for IY. I’m looking forward to building a national network and sharing my ICT knowledge with my IY family.”
Below are the alumni that joined the IkamvaYouth body of staff this year:
And now… IkamvaYouth is seeking an alum to be a board member of the organisation. The successful alumni will learn a great deal about what it takes to run an organisation.
Level of Commitment required:
- The Board requires a commitment of four board meetings a year (lasting approximately 2 hours) as well as prepare for the board meetings which will take approximately 2-3 hours.
- There may be other ad hoc events that the board member will be required to attend.
- The successful alum will not get paid for his or her time but will be making a meaningful contribution to the running of IkamvaYouth.
Areas of expertise sought (any of the following):
- HR
- Sustainability
- Leadership
- Fundraising
- Finance
- Passion or interest in the education of disadvantaged youth
Serving on the board of IkamvaYouth is a wonderful, enriching experience, especially for someone early in their career. Aside from the joy of working for a public good, it can broaden your experience and skills, which might help you find your next job. For more details of what being a board member entails, please click HERE, where you’ll find our constitution.
If you would like to nominate any alumn for this position, please click HERE.
On the 5th of March 2016, IkamvaYouth alumni and tutors were invited to attend a workshop aimed at helping them improve their CV writing and interview skills. This was an opportunity for our Ikamvanites to learn some valuable job hunting skills from each other, as well as from our HR manager and Communications Coordinator, who co-facilitated the workshop. We asked one of the workshop attendees, Aphiwe Sobutyu to give us his take on the event. Here’s what he had to say:
It was a day filled with fun and surprises when I attended a CV writing workshop with other IkamvaYouth Alumni. I always thought that my CV was OKAY… but guess what, I was fooling myself, because on that day I discovered that my CV is [not that great] and it needed to be pimped.
On the day of the workshop I learned that no matter what job or industry you’re applying for, you will need a CV in the process of the application, we were also told about which information to include in our CVs and why it is important to tell it as it is, for it represent who you are and the other things that you have engaged in, in the past.
That was a very great workshop and I hope it can spread from the alumni group to the learners, for they can benefit from it and be equipped with the right skills – learning CV writing while they still in high school.
Aphiwe matriculated in 2012, and is currently studying Public Management at CPUT. He is also a dedicated tutor at the Nyanga branch.
IkamvaYouth is committed to supporting its alumni and tutor community through providing access to various opportunities for self-development. The next workshop is coming up on the 20th of May (Yip, that’s TOMORROW!), check out the details here.
The news of the passing of one of our Ikamvanites has come as a shock to the IkamvaYouth family. Thembakazi Nyakatya joined IkamvaYouth in 2008 while she was doing grade 10. As a young girl from the township, education was the only option for her to become successful. Despite the peer pressure young girls experience in townships she chose education and kept up her attendance until she matriculated in 2010. While she was in grade 12, her positive influence encouraged her little brother Unathi Nyakatya to join the programme, thereafter her second brother Bazise Nyakatya in 2012. In 2011 Thembakazi came back to IkamvaYouth as a tutor. She believed that her background could not be an obstacle to achieving her goals, and it wasn’t. In 2014 she graduated with a diploma in Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. In April 2016, while she was sick in hospital, she missed her BTech graduation.
Thembakazi was a role model not only to her siblings, but to many in the IkamvaYouth family and the community at large. We would like to express our condolences to her family. Lala Ngoxolo Thembsie.
In January this year, we were super excited to announce that our matric class of 2015 had achieved a staggering 80% pass rate, beating the national average by 9%. Passing matric, however, is only the first hurdle that South African youth need to clear, in order to set themselves on the path towards earning a dignified living. IkamvaYouth strives to ensure that our learners access post school opportunities in the form of tertiary studies, learnerships/other apprenticeship programmes, and employment. IkamvaYouth are pleased to report an overall 90% placement rate for our class of 2015, an increase from last year’s 85%!
56% of the learners who passed are now pursuing tertiary studies, enrolled in a wide range of courses this year. The fields of study being pursued the most this year are science & engineering, with an impressive 25% of the cohort pursuing qualifications in these areas, followed by a close 19% of the learners enrolled in commercial studies. Other courses being pursued by our class of 2016 include Psychology, Legal studies, Nursing, Maritime studies, and Media/Marketing related studies.
After the excitement of passing matric, and then getting accepted into tertiary, our learners have to contend with yet another hurdle: accessing funds to finance their studies. While we are concerned about the high number of learners who have not yet secured funding for their studies this year, we are really pleased that most (57%) have secured funding through study loans (mostly through NSFAS: 43%) and bursaries/scholarships. We are particularly proud of these Ikamvanites who managed to secure bursaries/scholarships:
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Palesa Machabela from the Ebony Park branch received a university entrance bursary to study Human Life Sciences at the University of Stellenbosch.
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Thabang Rankeng, also from Ebony Park was awarded by the Gauteng City Region Academy, for being among the top three performing learners in his school. He is now studying towards a BSc (Chemistry) degree at Wits.
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Chumisa Yapi from Makhaza was awarded a university entrance bursary by UCT, to study towards a BSc degree.
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6 learners were awarded the prestigious Moshal Scholarship: Wandile Majozi and Nhlanhla Mabaso from Chesterville, both studying towards Bcom (accounting) degrees at UKZN; as well as 4 learners from Ebony Park: Puledi Chipape (Geological Sciences at Wits), Kefilwe Maake (Mechanical Engineering at UCT), Sharon Maota (Biological Sciences at Wits), and Onkarabile Kau (Computer Science at the University of Pretoria).
Here’s what 2 of the bursary recipients had to say:
“Ikamva has taught me the reward of focus and preparation especially when it comes to post matric preparation. Honestly without IkamvaYouth I would not have been heading into the bright future I am heading into today (Going to Stellenbosch University, my parents not having to pay for my fees)” – Palesa Machabela
“I feel very happy and blessed that the Moshal program granted me this scholarship. I really feel special and thank the program for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to further my studies. … Receiving the scholarship means … the world to me… it showed me that some people out there believe in me and have faith that I can do wonders in this field.” – Puledi Chipape
Congrats on getting your feet through the door towards a brighter future, Ikamvanites! We are so proud of what you’ve achieved so far, and are so looking forward to seeing you realise your dreams.
If you grew up in the 90s, you may remember Captain Planet and the Planeteers: the animated series about the superhero and his team of five youth from around the world, whose job was to defend the earth against various disasters, and educate mankind to prevent these from happening again. Climate change and environmental/conservation issues are a Global topic at the moment. South Africa is facing its worst drought in 23 years (City Press, 19 January 2016), with the worst affected areas being Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, and the Karoo. It only makes sense therefore, that this first article in the series of IkamvaYouth’s “ Ikamvanite Careers Spotlight”, we focus in on our very own superheroes, whose passion is also to defend and protect the earth: Alumni in the Environmental sciences/management field. We caught up with two of them, to find out more about what inspired their interest in pursuing this field.
Nolwazi Hlongwane, who matriculated in 2010 is one such alumni. She joined IkamvaYouth Chesterville in 2008, and has completed her BSc Honours in Environmental Sciences at the University of KwaZulu Natal. She is now doing her Masters degree in Ecological Sciences, also at UKZN. Here’s what she had to say about what inspired her to pursue Environmental studies:
“Different environmental crises that were documented in the media motivated me to choose this career path. I wanted to understand different environmental forces and processes that are occurring in the environment as a whole and to understand what we as the youth of this country can do to save biodiversity for future generations to come. Well, as a high school pupil back in 2009 I didn’t understand much about environmental process taking place in the world we live in and what drives the great environmental changes we are experiencing today. I was just in love with nature and just curious about different environmental catastrophes documented in different media platforms and a bit of knowledge gained in geography and life sciences.”
We also asked her to share some insight into the current water crisis, and share some tips for what we ordinary South Africans can do:
“it is a global issue that needs to be dealt with by all parties… What we can do as South African citizens is to educate people about different environmental issues created by us, that are causing all these natural disasters such as drought and how we can live in a more sustainable way that does not harm the environment… Government needs to intervene and work with scientists in different fields… and to encourage the public to save water”
Another Ikamvanite doing amazing things is in the field of Environmental studies field is Sinethemba Kameni (also one of our board members), who matriculated in 2005, and has an honours degree in Materials Engineering from UCT. Sinethemba shares one of the highlights of his career, while working at Nampak:
“I worked on Homecare products e.g. your Handy Andy packaging materials. Most of these packs are made from recycled materials e.g. HDPE or PET materials. When I joined we were using 100% virgin material. I asked myself, why? As I knew, technically we can add a percentage of recycled materials and still achieve the same functionality. Plus we can save on cost. Furthermore, we had a strategy, Vision 2020, which is all about responsible sourcing and halving our pack materials by 2020. In 2015 we were sitting at about 17% although we should be at about 25%, so we were behind. That gave me the drive and a mission to contribute, and millions of Rands were saved. Besides the fact that what I did was aligned to my work goals, I am also passionate about the “green” concept. It’s just the right thing to do. I believe there is so much we can do and contribute to the world.“
We also asked Sinethemba to share some pearls of wisdom, with regards to what can be done to contribute to saving water. Here’s what he had to say:
“Water is one of our key resources. I believe educational programmes on how to save water, can go a long way. Global warming is real. Shower for 5 mins, use a glass of water when brushing teeth, ensure the tap is closed after using… these are small but big impact steps one can take at home level to contribute.”
This drought impacts not just on rural areas and farmers, but those of us in urban areas are also feeling its crippling effects, most notably through the significant increases in staple food items. As Nolwazi and Sinethemba have noted, we are all called to action to play our part in saving water. Education is noted by many in the field as the key to addressing climate change and environmental conservation issues. Yes, on an individual level, by equipping people with the knowledge and understanding of what they can do (e.g. reducing water consumption & waste, maintaining pipes & taps, planting trees, etc), but also on a broader level. Educational institutions and organisations have a huge role to play in developing environmental managers and scientists such as Sinethemba and Nolwazi, who will go on to make significant contributions to the field, and indeed, the world.
IkamvaYouth is so proud to have played a part in ensuring that these superheroes get to where they are in their careers. We hope they serve as inspiration for other Ikamvanites, not only those who are currently pursuing their studies in the field, but also those who are still in school, to consider careers in the environmental management/science field, and also become real-life Planeteers!
Lloyd Lungu