W&RSETA PARTNERS WITH NSFAS TO PROVIDE
BURSARIES TO STUDENTS WHO WANT A CAREER IN THE WHOLESALE & RETAIL SECTO=
R
The Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and
Training Authority (W&RSETA) has entered into a landmark agreement with=
the
National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to provide financial assistan=
ce
to students for two groundbreaking bursary sche=
mes...
The W&RSETA Fin=
al
Year Bursary Scheme is for students who passed in 2011 and qualified for the
NSFAS Final Year Programme. This scheme
will provide bursaries for up to 3 000 students, thus enabling them =
to
graduate and find employment in the Wholesale & Retail Sector through t=
he
W&RSETA Workplace Experience Employment Project.
The W&RSETA Fir=
st
Year Bursary Scheme is for an additional 1 667 bursaries for first year
students who passed Matric in 2011 or in previous years. These bursaries wi=
ll
cover three years of study, linking students to work placements in the
Wholesale and Retail Sector throughout their studies.
This landmark agreement is a response by the
W&RSETA to the call by the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr
Blade Nzimande, to SETAs, other public entities and social partners to help
students who need financial aid in order to graduate. “Final year undergraduate students have received
loans equivalent to the full cost of study, and if they pass and graduate, =
this
loan will be converted to a full bursary and will not be repaid”, the Minis=
ter
announced at the Ministerial Road Show to meet stakeholders in the post sch=
ool
education and training system, held in Durban in November 2011. The Minister said that the aim of the
Department of Higher Education and Training was to conceptualise and bring
together all the major sub-sectors of higher and further education and trai=
ning
“into a single system in which the parts complement the whole, work togethe=
r to
strengthen one another and articulate seamlessly with one another.”
At his official launch of the Green Paper for
Post-School Education and Training on 12 January 2012 in Pretoria, the Mini=
ster
called on government departments and agencies as well as municipalities to
increase their intake of various types of trainees who are either still
studying or have recently completed their studies. The Minister further called on the priv=
ate
sector to contribute more effectively in addressing the skills needs in the
country by providing opportunities for graduates.
W&RSETA
FINAL YEAR BURSARIES
The W&RSETA Se=
ctor
Skills Plan (SSP) has identified a number of scarce skills for which there =
is a
dire need in the Sector. To address this gap, W&RSETA has provided R185
million for bursaries in the Final Year Programme to university students who
completed their studies in 2011 in disciplines related to the Sector. These=
bursaries,
which include stipends for workplace experience, will assist the Wholesale =
and
Retail Sector by providing a pool of potential employees with the requisite
skills, thus narrowing the supply and demand gap. It will further promote Wholesale and Retail as a career of choice=
to
suitably qualified young graduates.
Students who received NSFAS loans for the Final
Year Programme in 2011 and who graduated with qualifications in any of the =
following
retail-related disciplines will be eligible for these bursaries:
· =
Accounting;
· =
Human Resource Management ( specialisatio=
n in
Industrial relations);
· =
Marketing and sales
· =
Logistics;
· =
Operations Management;
· =
Retail Management;
· =
Credit Management;
· =
Clothing Technology
· =
Food Technology;
· =
Purchasing Management (buyers and planner=
s);
· =
Information Technology;
· =
=
Supply
Chain Management.
“The Minister made an impassioned plea on behal=
f of
the students and we as the W&RSETA heeded that call. This is the first =
time
since the inception of this SETA that we will be funding bursaries for
post-matric education. As a skills development institution, we are of the v=
iew
that our mandate should not end with the learnerships and skills programmes=
at
workplaces but should also go beyond that to support needy university and F=
ET
college students who are passionate about the Sector. This is what we call
positioning the Sector as a career of choice,” said Joel Dikgole, W&RSE=
TA
Chief Executive Officer.
This financial assistance will provide a full
bursary. Students must meet the following conditions in order to apply for
these bursaries:
·
Graduated from the NSFAS Final Year Programme in 2011
·
Qualified in any of the disciplines menti=
oned
above
·
South African citizens; and
·
Willing to be placed in the Wholesale and
Retail Sector for Workplace Experience
As part of the W&RSETA’s Workplace Experien=
ce
Employment Grant (WEEG) Project, students will be placed in the Wholesale a=
nd
Retail Sector for a period of up to 12 months after graduating and will rec=
eive
monthly stipends from the SETA for the period. “We have noted with regret t=
hat
students complete their studies only to stay at home unemployed, rendering =
all
other interventions futile. It is for this reason that the W&RSETA has =
taken
a decision to integrate formal learning with practical workplace experienti=
al
training,” said Mr Dikgole.
Any student who meets the above criteria and who
wishes to apply for a W&RSETA Final Year Programme bursary and WEEG pla=
cement
in 2012 should apply directly to NSFAS by completing the application form on
the NSFAS website www.nsfas.org.za; or via email at retail@nsfas.org.za. For
queries, please contact the NSFAS Call Centre on (021)763 3232. W&RSETA
will not deal directly with student applications, all enquiries must be mad=
e to
NSFAS.
=
W&RSETA
FIRST YEAR BURSARIES
Through the National Skills Development Strategy
(NSDS III), SETAs have been asked to re-orient their funding to channel more
resources into full occupational programmes at public FET colleges and
universities. SETAs are required to increasingly channel training resources
into tackling the shortage of artisans, technicians, professionals,
administrators, managers and others needed to build the economy. This is wh=
at
the W&RSETA First Year Bursary scheme seeks to achieve.
One of the most exciting and innovative aspects=
of
the W&RSETA Bursary Scheme is that the learners will be required to und=
ergo
workplace experiential learning during the period of their studies to ensure
that when they graduate they have the requisite skills, qualifications and =
are
employable. While bursary schemes are typically only open to learners who w=
ant to
study at University, learners who want to further their studies through Fur=
ther
Education and Training (FET) colleges in disciplines related to the Wholesa=
le
and Retail sector, may also apply for this Bursary Scheme.
Univ=
ersity
and FET College students who qualify for NSFAS bursaries and who apply for
W&RSETA First Year Bursaries to study in the fields mentioned above, wi=
ll
receive a bursary that covers the Full Cost of Study in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Students will participate in workplace experiential learning in the Wholesa=
le
and Retail Sector throughout their studies.
Any student who meets the above criteria and who
wishes to apply for a W&RSETA First Year Bu=
rsary
and WEEG placement in 2012 should apply to the
Financial Aid Office at the university or college where they are registered.
Bursaries will be given to students with the best academic potential to suc=
ceed
and who are passionate about a career in the Wholesale and Retail Sector.
Students from rural areas will be given preference.
Clos=
ing
Date for applications for both bursaries is 28 February 2012 and can be fou=
nd
at http://www.nsfas.org.za/Docs/forms/W&RSEAT_FINAL_YEAR_BURSAR=
IES_2012.pdf
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