Future - Volume 3 Preview

DEVELOPING

PPC is a provider of 100% LOCAL 100% QUALITY premium building products

PPC is an iconic material and solutions provider of quality and consistent cement, aggregates, ready-mix and fly ash. We also provide technical support to our customers. PPC’s story stretches back over 130 years to where we were first incorporated on the outskirts of Pretoria in 1892. As the first cement plant in South Africa, we have established ourselves as a resilient organisation by adapting to ever-changing economic, operating and political environments. This Sub-Saharan brand continues to grow beyond South African borders into Botswana, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda where our footmark extends. We are proud to be a leading provider of quality building materials and solutions to empower people to experience a better quality of life.

PPC is honoured to be making contributions to the quality of education through our strength beyond initiatives. One such initiative has been the construction of Redeemed Kids Kingdom Pre-school, providing a safe and conducive learning environment for early childhood development. Moreover, through our SUREACADEMY Technical Skills Centre we have implemented job creation programs, a Graduate Development Program that offers work experience opportunities for recent graduates and a Yes Program initiative that offers employment opportunities to unemployed youth. At the centre of our 100% quality products, PPC believes in quality workmanship, hence we have trained at least 4 000 brick makers and provided CETA Accredited bricklaying, plastering and construction management training courses to at least 200 SMMEs. Through these Strength Beyond initiatives PPC is playing a vital role in improving the quality of education, fostering job creation, and promoting skills development for the betterment of communities and an improved quality of life.

PPC is proud to be a leading provider of 100% local 100% quality building materials as well as solutions to empower people to experience a better quality of life

PPC’s Sure Academy addressing

critical skills shortages in the industry

BhekiMthembu

PPC'S ORIGINS CAN BE TRACED BACK OVER 131 YEARS TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF TSHWANE IN SOUTH AFRICA. ESTABLISHED IN 1892 AS THE FIRST CEMENT MANUFACTURER IN THE COUNTRY, PPC HAS DEMONSTRATED RESILIENCE BY ADAPTING TO AND NAVIGATING CHANGES IN DIVERSE OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS.

Its influence has expanded across sub-Saharan Africa, and it has built a robust portfolio in emerging markets within the region. This diverse portfolio enables PPC to effectively address the dynamic economic, operational, and political landscapes. In a conversation with FUTURE SA, Bheki Mthembu, PPC's Head of Inland Business Unit, sheds light on its endeavours in skills training…

Tell us a bit about the Sure Academy and the rationale for its establishment.

The Sure Academy was established to address the critical skills shortages within the company and the industry at large.

PPC needs a highly motivated, skilled, and productive workforce to execute its strategy and create value for stakeholders. The limited pool of required resources in South Africa and globally simply gets more expensive, the more demand there is for that pool.

PPC’s deliberate strategy to focus on skills development increases the pool of talented and motivated individuals and helps positions PPC globally.

What is the graduate development programme?

The graduate development programme is an important element of the Sure Academy aimed at developing young talent who have just obtained their qualification.

In 2023, PPC onboarded 11 new graduates who joined our existing three graduates in South Africa in the fields of mechanical, chemical, electrical, and mining engineering, chemistry, geology, supply chain, and finance. This is a 24-month development programme aimed at building young talent within the scarce skills of the industry and improving our bench strength.

What is the Technical Skills Centre?

The Sure Academy is proudly associated with the Technical Skills Centre (TSC) whose main focus is on running learnerships and the creation of artisans.

The learnerships facilitated through the TSC include electrical, fitter and turner, millwright, and boilermaker. The Technical Skills Centre is open both to PPC as well as external learners, which includes learners from the Office of the Premier in the Northwest. The TSC is accredited with the QCTO under the DHET umbrella.

Tell us more about accreditation, and how the Sure Academy ties in with CSI/socio-economic development initiatives undertaken by PPC. PPC exists to empower people to experience a better quality of life. We believe in going beyond providing quality building materials by investing in the communities in which we operate.

The Sure Academy exists to live up to this mission. With the shortage of skills we are facing, the academy is aiming to address that. Two of our CSI pillars include skills development and education, which is what the Sure Academy is addressing.

Besides the Sure Academy, PPC is a proudly South African company committed to helping to build the country. Unemployment, and especially youth unemployment, is a huge challenge and it is vital that companies like us do our bit to bridge the skills mismatch that is undermining South Africa’s development, and also help to reduce unemployment levels. PPC launched CETA-accredited courses that include bricklaying, plastering, and construction management. It incorporates both theory and practical instruction. Over 200 bakkie builders from across South Africa have been trained and successfully completed the NQF level 3 (bricklaying and plastering) and 4 (construction management) courses and received South African Qualifications Authority certificates.

It is no secret that South Africa has a critical shortage of qualified artisans, and the country needs at least 60% of school leavers to pursue artisan-type training to meet its demand for scarce skills. What are your thoughts on this?

A qualification is essentially an entry into the workplace and signals certain traits such as commitment to study and the ability to cope with work and social pressures; however, it does not necessarily equip you for the workplace.

It is important that graduate development programmes provide a buffer between university and the individual developing into a professional. This should include mentorship, coaching, regular assessments of completed tasks, and presenting ideas to management.

How does the Sure Academy help drive employment opportunities within industry for newly-minted female graduates?

Our bursary and graduate development programmes aim to attract more women into the industry. The criteria for both these programmes give preference to women. In addition to this, we aim to develop women through our leadership development programmes.

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Education, skills development and training is the key to unlocking a successful and productive future. Education assists in unlocking employment opportunities, and is also essential for innovation, improving efficiencies, and driving sustainability.

Over the past years, a major positive for continuous learning has been the establishment of alternative education and training centres. Gone are the days when it was just school and university or college available as avenues for learning. Today we have options such as online schooling, short courses (in person or online) and more, that all ensure we have a platform to continue our learning journey irrespective of age. The other bonus that comes from this is that some platforms are more cost-efficient, which speaks to inclusivity.

The elephant in the room, however, is that while education is often the key to finding employment, unemployment is rampant and compounded by realities such as an increased cost of living and so forth. How often do we read stories of graduates who remain unemployed?

There is no straightforward answer on how to address this, but a starting point would be increased collaboration and partnerships between the private sector and government institutes. Another key factor for all learners and students is to note that education is invaluable – it is never a wasted investment. The reality is that in today’s world, we have to keep pushing on all fronts – developing ourselves, not giving up, and continuing to pursue our goals.

There are a variety of paid and free courses that can potentially help us on our individual journeys, but our mindset is critical. We have to think strategically and sometimes be a bit bolder than we are.

info@ixist.co.za

There are challenges, but there are also opportunities… Good luck on your journey of continuous learning! Tashne

Contents 2023

2 Q&A: PPC’s Sure Academy addressing critical skills shortages in the industry

10 Cover Feature: Coca-Cola Beverages SA Investing in our young people is the key to our future success

16 Q&A: National Youth Development Agency NYDA – Empowering youth

20 Donor fatigue? Now is not the time for South Africa’s NGO education sector

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT 23

24 ECD key for unlocking a brighter future

28 The seed to success… reading from an early age

30 Tech for good: Tipping the scale on children’s mental health through digital reading

32 Advertorial: Maskew Miller Learning

New name, same game – Pearson SA rebrands to Maskew Miller Learning

28

34 Why do our kids get the short end of the parenting stick?

38 Monster Trucks: empowering & therapeutic

BASIC EDUCATION 41

42 Future-proofing SA’s school curriculum through STEM programmes

44 Tackling the widening STEAM skills gap

46 Need to fast-track ICT in education

48 Developing young entrepreneurial minds

50 5 reasons you should take a further studies programme

52 The importance of self-expression for kids

53 Advertorial: Acrobranch A treetop experience like no other!

54 Observing mental health awareness among scholars

56 Education: a holistic foundation for lifelong learning

58 The value of tutoring: step in to help your child step up

62 Helping children navigate AI

64 Uplifting educators is key to advancing transformation in the education sector

67 Advertorial: Cambridge Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary

69

HIGHER EDUCATION

70 Career design: mapping your future

74 Post-matric avenues to explore

76 AI & higher education

78 Meaningful & impactful community engagement in higher education

42 78

82 Don’t allow the ghosts of student debt to haunt your future

84 Business schools show a competitive edge in alumni employability

86 Advertorial: ITRISA

International Trade Institute of Southern Africa (ITRISA)

NPC a world leader in trade training & development

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Cover Feature: Coca-Cola Beverages

Investing in our young people

is the key to our future success

By Velaphi Ratshefola, Managing Director, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA IS A COUNTRY RICH WITH PROMISE AND POTENTIAL, BUT ALSO FACES SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES. THE MOST PRESSING OF THESE ISSUES RELATES TO OUR COUNTRY’S UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES, AND IN PARTICULAR, THAT OF RISING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT.

Velaphi Ratshefola

With South Africa’s unemployment rate showing no signs of improvement in the short-term, coming in at 32.9% for Q1 of 2023 according to a Stats SA Report, poverty is a daily reality for many and exacerbates the inequality we see all around us.

The unemployment picture is the worst in the youth segment, with over 51% of young people unemployed. According to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate for different age cohorts is:

• age 15-24 = 62.1%

• age 25-34 = 40.7%

• 35-44 = 27.9

One ray of light is that the unemployment rate for graduates is 10.6%, which is 22.3 percentage points lower than the national official unemployment rate of 32.9%. This shows the benefit of directly investing in education outcomes early on.

Our human capital – and how we harness this – is what will define our country and our continent’s future trajectory.

Our goal must be to support and create an enabling environment for our young people to learn, grow and become economically active citizens.

To this end, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has adopted the three pillars of education, employability and entrepreneurship as a framework for our economic inclusion strategy.

Education: Study Buddy Fund

Education is a critical tool in eradicating poverty and promoting sustained, inclusive, and equitable economic growth for sustainable development.

At CCBSA, we recognise that education is central to the development and improvement of the lives of young people in South Africa. Supporting the educational aspirations of our youth is one way in which we believe we can help turn the tide and create a better future for all in South Africa.

CCBSA launched the Study Buddy Fund in 2021 to assist young people across communities in which CCBSA has operations, to access tertiary education. The Fund pays for full tuition, accommodation, as well as textbooks in line with our holistic approach to supporting students.

To date, we have invested over R8 million to support deserving students. This is one of our initiatives and one as an organisation, we are tremendously proud of.

The Study Buddy Programme also includes support groups,

career advice and study support to give bursary recipients “every opportunity at a successful academic career”.

Our Study Buddy Fund comprises four programme pillars:

1. Host Community Bursary Programme: The bursary programme provides scholarship support to indigent academically strong students who meet entry requirements for access to universities. This financial support covers registration, tuition, accommodation, meal allowances and textbooks.

2. University Partnership: This provides funding to students already at university but who do not have bursaries and/or NFSAS funding and are often regarded as the “missing middle”. Of the more than 80 students we have supported to date, half were young women.

3. TVET College Support: This targets young people in CCBSA host communities who are registered in TVET colleges. The scholarship support focuses on technical skills development, specifically geared towards the CCBSA value chain i.e., electrical, or mechanical engineering.

4. Ligbron: This is e-Learning using technology to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science. CCBSA has supported over 6 000 students to date.

But more than just education support, we believe in developing young people to become capable leaders of tomorrow, be it in communities, society, business, or any other sphere of life. We are determined to invest in them through holistic support programmes that offer tools, including life skills, to assist the student to reach their full potential.

This is who we are as an organisation. We believe that companies which grow their businesses the right way and are invested in and support the communities in which they operate, creating inclusive and sustainable growth opportunities, will help shape a better-shared future for all –including our business.

But more than just education support, we believe in developing young people to become capable leaders of tomorrow, be it in communities, society, business, or any other sphere of life.

Employability: Skills development programmes

At CCBSA, we have a number of initiatives which are aimed at helping job seekers find meaningful and sustainable employment.

Much of this is centred around skills development, including up-skilling or re-skilling, in order to enhance job prospects and increase earning potential.

Our focus on youth empowerment is to also assist with skills development, particularly for graduates who may require additional training in soft skills that would make them more employable, or which would aid their own entrepreneurial efforts.

The success of these programmes is defined by the extent to which we boost income, unlock sustainable earning potential, improve skills, and business knowledge, resulting in access to economic opportunities.

Whether investing financial resources, our time, or our expertise, we take our responsibility to the communities we call home seriously.

Entrepreneurship: Bizniz in a Box initiative

The small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) sector is a

vital engine of growth in South Africa, particularly as we still claw back many of the losses due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But starting and then sustaining a small enterprise is not a simple task. Around 70% of SMMEs fail within the first two years, with many entrepreneurs citing lack of funding, proper business skills, as well as access to markets as among the major impediments.

We launched our Bizniz in a Box (BiB) initiative in 2016 with a view to creating a platform to support emerging and small businesses, particularly those run by youth and women, and especially in informal and rural areas.

Bizniz in a Box aims to create an ecosystem of viable microbusinesses offering complementary products and services in a community, using a spaza or house shop as the anchor. Each business operates out of a custom-designed container. These businesses would help cover various needs of the local community, including a business centre and internet café, a car wash, a fast-food shop or a mini baker.

Through our BiB programme, we are hoping to help reduce youth unemployment and associated poverty levels and inequality by providing opportunities for youth to grow, sustain

their businesses and have an enhanced quality of life. The BiB initiative has supported over 700 entrepreneurs across several provinces, including Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. We have provided 758 containers, including 400 for young entrepreneurs, and spent more than R120 million on BiBrelated activities.

I am a firm believer in co-creating solutions that will help youth and by extension, our country - and, coupled with the energy and enterprise of youth, the Bizniz in a Box (BiB) is the perfect vehicle to help drive the critical SMME sector. Our responsibility is to have the appetite to continue providing them with continuous support as that’s the only way we can guarantee success.

I admire the enterprise and resilience of young people, but we have a responsibility to create a conducive environment and to provide the tools and platforms for young people to plough their energies and ideas into.

In struggling economic conditions such as we are experiencing currently, we need a focused approach to tackle some of the challenges we face as a country.

There is a need for all stakeholders to collaborate and cocreate solutions that will bring hope to young people, be it providing access to education, employing them or helping them build businesses.

Being part of the solution

At CCBSA, we have invested in multiple skills development and entrepreneurship, as well as supplier development incubation programmes, as part of building greater economic inclusion, particularly for those most marginalised in our society.

Our strategic framework seeks to embed economic inclusion across our entire value chain and make it part of how we do business the right way. Investing in communities and in the future of our people and our country will ensure the sustainability and success of our business.

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is a proudly South African company that began operating as a legal entity in July 2016, after the merger of six non-alcoholic ready-to-drink bottling operations. We are a level 1 B-BBEE empowered company. We employ over 7 000 people at 13 manufacturing facilities across the country. As a subsidiary of CocaCola Beverages Africa (CCBA) and a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company, our vision is to refresh Africa every day and make our continent a better place for all.

We manufacture and distribute Coca-Cola beverages that make life’s everyday moments more enjoyable, while doing business the right way. The result is shared opportunities for our customers, our employees, our communities, and our shareholders. We conduct our business ethically, transparently, and conscientiously. We espouse an inclusive business culture to reflect our African identity.

We accelerate sustainable, profitable revenue growth across all categories and offer an innovative portfolio of products that respond to customer needs and consumer preferences. Profitability is important, but not at any cost. People matter. Our planet matters. We do business the right way by following our values and partnering for solutions that benefit us all.

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