by marketing | Feb 21, 2023 | Old News
Learners from the Pace Commerce and Entrepreneurship School of Specialisation in Soweto performed well recently at the Young Entrepreneurship Programme (YEP), coming in third among world contenders.
YEP was introduced by international skills development non-profit organisation, ORT South Africa in 2022 and is funded by the Support Teacher Empowerment Trust. In this programme, learners aged 14 to 16 from all over the world go on a 30-week curriculum that provides them with a thorough introduction to the world of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
ORT Johannesburg came third behind ORT Herzlia School Cape Town in second and Escola ORT Brazil in first place.
The programme curriculum is a blend of theoretical and practical activities, aimed at developing students’ knowledge, skills and understanding, and encouraging creative thinking and practical creativity, coding and robotics coordinator at ORT SA, Amini Murinda, told Mail & Guardian.
The brief for the competition is for small teams of students to design a product that solves a social problem.
“The full course simulates the real-world process of developing an initial idea through market research, analysis of risks and opportunities, defining product specifications, selecting the optimum business model, designing a marketing strategy, manufacturing a product prototype and, finally, the presentation of a business plan and sales pitch,” Murinda said.
The course also introduces the students to entrepreneurship and problem-solving, technology, design and innovative thinking, with an emphasis on international sharing, collaboration on tasks and advanced communication skills in English.
Murindi said he believed such skills would help lessen South Africa’s steep youth unemployment rate, currently at 59.6%.
“With knowledge and skills of the future, learners will be employable and can start their own businesses while, at the same time, solving problems in their communities, and alleviating unemployment,” he said
YEP student, Naledi Xaba said she had acquired many useful skills like invention, problem-solving and building something from nothing.
“I am planning to use the skills I have acquired in this programme to start my own businesses because coding is also about startups and how to sell your own products,” she said.
Another student, Entle Dzanibe, said after completing the programme he hoped to enter public speaking competitions and planned on presenting his business idea to a big company in the country.
by marketing | Jan 23, 2023 | Old News
International Education Day is a day to celebrate the power of education to change lives and build a better future for all. Let’s be honest, how many times did we feel that school can be too much of an effort? Who didn’t dream of ditching class and spending the day in front of Netflix with a hot cup of cocoa? But the truth is that education is one of the most important things we can give ourselves and others. It opens doors to new opportunities and helps us understand the world around us.
Basic Mathematics and literacy skills are fundamental for a person’s personal and professional development as well as for the overall economic growth of a country. The state of basic mathematics and literacy in South Africa is of huge concern. According to the UN, in 2020, over 617 million youth worldwide lacked basic mathematics and literacy skills. The statistics show that a large proportion of learners need to reach minimum proficiency levels. For example, The Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ) report of 2017 indicated that South Africa is amongst the worst performers in mathematics and science in the region. The report shows that only 37% of Grade 6 learners in South Africa can perform basic mathematical operations compared to an average of 63% in the region.
The poor state of education in South Africa is not only numbers, graphs, and statistics of bad performance; it affects the high unemployment rate. The unemployment rate in South Africa is higher than the world average. The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QFLS), published by Statistics South Africa, shows that the official rate for unemployment is 32.9% in the third quarter of 2022. This is one of the highest unemployment rates in the world! Additionally, the youth unemployment rate in South Africa is particularly high, with nearly half of all young people aged 15 to 34 unemployed.
Education not only increases the chances of finding employment but also leads to better quality jobs and higher wages. According to the South Africa Labour Market report, on average, those with a tertiary education earn more than twice as much as those with only primary education. In addition, the report states that the unemployment rate for professionals and managers is around 1%.
But here’s the good news, whether you are a student, teacher, or someone who cares about the future of the world, you can, in your own way, invest in education. For example, investing your time or donating to a non-profit organisation, such as ORT SA, an educational NGO that has impacted the lives of thousands of people in South Africa by making people employable by implementing education and skills development initiatives. Collaboration is key. Together we can help build a brighter future for all.
So let’s celebrate education, get off the couch, switch off Netflix, take your hot cocoa, and open a book or learn something new!
International Day of Education was established in 2018 by the U.N. General Assembly. It is observed annually on January 24th.
Join us at the Launch of the ORT SA Career Hub on the 15th of February where we will explore the importance of keeping learning and also get insight on how to do it better. Details will follow on our social media and Ort SA website.
by marketing | Nov 24, 2022 | Old News
ORT SA wants to thank the generous sponsors, donors and players who contributed to the success of ORT SA’s 48TH annual Golf Fundraiser charity golf day at Killarney Country Club. Their contribution ensured that more young people and aspiring businesses have access to education, work and entrepreneurial opportunities. The first-prize winners were David Melman, Greg Veffer, Cameron Veffer and Dean Katz. The fantastic prizes ranged from B&B vouchers from Anew Hotel Hluhluwe & Safaris, Cellin Trolley Duffle Carry On’s, to various vouchers for restaurants, stores and jewellery. The hole in one prize was a VW Polo and was kindly sponsored by Hatfield Motors. All our generous sponsors and donors played a vital role in the day’s success.
by marketing | Nov 24, 2022 | Old News
Excited children from schools in Johannesburg’s East Rand got the chance to showcase their coding and robotics projects, including 2D games, at a special event in Springs recently. The Let Kids Code project began in October 2021 and involved teams made up of 150 learners and 30 educators from seven primary schools and 11 secondary schools in the greater Tsakane area of Ekurhuleni. The project forms part of ORT SA’s initiative, in conjunction with Astron Energy, to take ICT and STEM skills to previously disadvantaged schools and communities through coding courses. The winning projects were: Primary School – Mega Primary for their Hospital Sensor project and Secondary School – Mbongeni Mgududu (Formerly Tsakane Ext 8 Secondary) for the game focused on Farming & Cropping.
by marketing | Nov 24, 2022 | Old News
OIRT SA in partnership with Route Monitoring held a certificate awards ceremony for the Let Kids Code initiative at Stable Inn, Springs. The programme began in October last year with teams of 150 learners aged between 10 and 14 years. Different primary schools from the East rand of Johannesburg showcased their projects. Ms Caroline Raphael who is the CES ROS at the office of the DDG CMD was the keynote speaker of the day, spent some time with the kids who exhibited their projects. In her speech Ms Raphael spoke about the importance of introducing the skills of Coding & Robotics in schools and commended ORT SA for being a step ahead. The Scholar Patrol Project from the Geluksdal Primary won first place position and the Water Dispenser from the Langaville Primary won second place.
by marketing | Nov 8, 2022 | Old News
Siyanda Queen Ngubane hails from the township of Illovo, in Durban, and is a qualified teacher. “I was working as an EA at Mthombeni Primary School. Toyota approached the school about the EAs opportunity and the school contacted me about the program. As a person who did her work to the best of my ability, the school then contacted me when the opportunity came, and that is how I heard about ORTSA.”
ORT SA hosted the annual business plan competition, on the 23rd of October 2022, at the Umlazi D community hall in KZN, sponsored by Toyota SA. The competition was held to help the youth see how their prospective businesses could succeed when competing with other companies, irrespective of the industry.
Ten youths were given a chance to pitch their business ideas to the judges to be in the top 3.
Siyanda Queen Ngubane was one of the youth who entered, and won first place with her business pitch for Kwangcukumane (PTY), a service that provides gardening resources. “I was very excited and nervous at the same time when I got into the top 10. When I was pitching, I had this confidence in me, wanting to pitch in such a way that I could cover all the questions the judges would have through my pitch, and I did just that.”
This led to her pitch being picked as the winning pitch. “I still have flashbacks of that moment.”
The top three winners received cash prizes of R10 000 for first place, R6 000 for the runner-up, and R4 000 for third place.
