Finished School, What Next?

Finished school and planning for your future? Check out some of these exciting opportunities!

Universities and FET Colleges

Have you thought about going to university?

The Western Cape has four universities that offer various courses:

• Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• University of the Western Cape
• University of Cape Town
• Stellenbosch University

Finished school but didn't get into university?

An alternative is to study at a Further Education and Training (FET) college. Here is a list of FET colleges in the Western Cape:

• College of Cape Town
• False Bay College
• Northlink College
• West Coast College
• Boland College
• South Cape College

There are many other colleges offering courses for school leavers, but be careful - some are not accredited and don't offer recognised courses. The Department of Higher Education and Training has a helpline that you can contact to verify a FET college: 0800 872 2222.

Here is some more information about what you should look for before registering at a college:

• Confirm the registration status of the college with the Department of Higher Education and Training.
• Ask for a brochure with information about the college and the qualifications that it offers.
• Study the student agreement carefully before enrolling.
• Make sure you get information on semester and examination timetables.
• Verify claims that the college offers internationally recognised qualifications.
• Be on the lookout for the false use of the names of world-renowned colleges.
• Check if a qualification that you want to register for has an NQF accreditation.

You should also look out for the use of the following terms:

Certificate

• The minimum length of studying for a certificate is one academic year, which includes class attendance, studying at home, assignments and in-service training.
• A qualification registered on the NQF must have a SAQA ID number.
• A certificate means that the qualification is registered at Level 2, 3 or 4 of the NQF.
• FET certificates consists of a minimum of 120 credits.

Diploma

• The minimum length of studying for a diploma is two academic years, which includes class attendance, studying at home, assignments and in-service training.
• A qualification registered on the NQF must have a SAQA ID number.
• A diploma means that the qualification is registered at Levels 5 to 6 of the NQF.
• A diploma consists of a minimum of 240 credits.

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Start Your Own Business

Finished with school and thinking of starting your own business? Here is some information on finance and skills development opportunities, as well as help offered by various government organisations to young entrepreneurs.

• Assistance for Young Entrepreneurs
• Business Training and Mentorship

Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA):

• Department of Labour
• Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the Skills Levy

You can also contact the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) for help with financing your business or developing an existing one.

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A Career in the Police or Military

South African Police Service (SAPS)

The South African Police Service (SAPS) offers careers in various fields. You can become a police official or a civilian employee. Most police officials are directly involved in preventing, combating or investigating crime. Other police officials and civilian personnel carry out support functions.

Careers in the South African Police Service

If you are interested in joining the South African Police Service, you need to meet the following requirements:

• Be a South African citizen.
• Have a Grade 12 (Standard 10) Senior Certificate.
• Be at least 18 years old and under 30 years old.
• Have a valid driver's licence.
• No criminal record.
• Be physically, mentally and medically fit.
• Have good communication skills.
• Act decisively and without hesitation.
• Be a calm and even-tempered person.

The SAPS recruits throughout the year. Keep an eye on the Sunday newspapers for job adverts.

South African National Defence Force (SANDF)

The Department of Defence employs young, fit and healthy South Africans. New members will serve for a two-year period. At the end of the two-year contract you can choose to carry on serving in the SANDF or to become a civilian again, although you will need to continue serving in the Reserve Force.

Careers in the SANDF

• SA Army
• SA Air Force
• SA Navy
• SA Military Health Service
• Special Forces

If you are interested in joining the SANDF, you need to meet the following requirements:

• Be a South African citizen.
• Be between the ages of 18 and 22 (although graduates up to the age of 26 can also join).
• Not area bound.
• Have no criminal record.
• Preferably single.
• Medically fit.
• Prepared for basic military training, functional training and to serve in uniform.

SANDF recruitment takes place in January and July every year.

Finished School! What next?

Western Cape Preview on Matric Results 2013

Statement by Penny Vinjevold, Head of Education in the Western Cape

The Western Cape Education Department is looking forward with keen anticipation to the announcement of the 2013 National Senior Certificate exam results on Monday, 6 January.

Candidates will receive their individual results at schools from 12:00 on Tuesday, 7 January.

We have noted commentary in the media on the standard of marking and large increases in pass rates.

The WCED has applied rigorous standards to marking the exams, including testing of markers in 10 core subjects (see “Quality of Markers” below).

We are confident that the results will be a true and accurate reflection on the abilities of our candidates, consistent with trends in improvement in the Western Cape in recent years (see Tables 1 and 2 below).

The WCED will use four key criteria to assess the overall results. They are:

• The numbers passing
• The numbers passing with quality results
• Any decline in the number of underperforming schools
• The numbers passing in poor communities

The numbers passing

The WCED is committed to increasing the number of candidates passing matric and with good results.

This is not the same as improving the pass rate. You can improve a pass rate by encouraging your weakest candidates to drop out of school.

Critics have accused schools of this practice, referring to it as “gaming” or “culling”.

We actively discourage this practice. We are committed to supporting our weakest learners and to ensuring that as many candidates as possible are given every opportunity to write matric.

Results to date have shown that the Western Cape is succeeding in this mission. For example, the number of candidates passing matric has increased steadily from 34 017 full-time candidates in 2009 to 36 992 in 2012.

Our stretch target for 2013 is 40 000.

Figure 1 below reflects the Western Cape’s success in retaining learners to matric during the period 2009 to 2012. We hope to see this trend continued in the 2013 results.

Figure 1: Retention of Grade 10 learners per province, 2008 to 2012. Retention in the Western Cape improved from 39.9% in 2008 to 52.5% in 2012. Source: Politicsweb, “The ‘real’ matric pass rate?”, 30 June 2013.

Figure 2: Ratio of Bachelor passes to Grade 10 enrolments, 2008 to 2012. The ratio improved in the Western Cape from 16.4% to 23.2%. Source: Politicsweb, “The ‘real’ matric pass rate?”, 30 June 2013.

Number of quality passes

We determine the quality of the results by increases in the numbers of candidates qualifying for Bachelor degree studies and our Mathematics and Physical Science results.

The number of candidates qualifying for Bachelor degree studies has increased from 14 414 in 2009 to 16 319 in 2012.

The pass rate for Mathematics in the Western Cape has improved from 64.9% in 2009 to 73.3% in 2012, thanks to sustained support in line with our Maths and Science strategy.

The pass rate for Physical Science improved similarly from 52.8% to 72.6% during this time.

Underperforming schools

The WCED defines underperforming high schools as those that achieve matric pass rates of less than 60%.

The department has applied interventions to support these schools. As a result, the number of underperforming schools in the Western Cape has dropped from 85 in 2009 to 26 in 2012.

We hope to see a further reduction this year.

While applying special interventions, we are also improving the system as a whole, for example, through our comprehensive literacy and numeracy strategy in primary schools.

Other more sustainable measures to improve the system, rather than bandaids, include, for example, ensuring that all learners have textbooks, careful selection of principals and teachers, their support, and further support to Grade 10 learners.

We are improving the system progressively to improve the system as a whole in the medium to longer terms.

Numbers passing in poor communities

A true test of our system is the extent to which we improve life opportunities for young people in poor communities.

Results have improved significantly in certain communities, for example, in Khayelitsha in recent years, and we will study the results closely to see if this trend has continued.

Quality of markers

The WCED has applied measures to ensure rigorous marking and that the results will be a fair and accurate reflection of the abilities of our candidates.

For example, the Western Cape has applied competency testing for markers for the past three years and is the only province to have done so.

The aim of the tests has been to ensure the highest possible standard of marking and that all of our markers are competent and experienced in their fields.

The WCED tested markers in 10 subjects in 2013, namely, Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy, Physical Sciences, History, Life Sciences, Accounting, Business Studies, Geography and Consumer Studies.

The competency tests assessed content knowledge, application of knowledge and skills and marking abilities. They focused on more than content knowledge by also testing the ability of markers to interpret Grade 12 candidate responses.

We are committed to ensuring the credibility and integrity of the exams at every level. The credibility of marking is central to this process.

Conclusion

Critics agree that we have to move beyond the pass rate as the main criterion for assessing matric results.

The WCED has adopted this approach for several years now, focussing instead on increasing the actual number of learners passing through the system, and passing matric with good results.

Results to date have shown that we are making progress. We look forward to seeing whether this trend has continued with the latest results.

Table 1: Western Cape National Senior Certificate Results 2009 – 2012

Year	Entered	Wrote	Pass	% pass	Bachelor	% pass Bachelor	Schools below 60%
2009	46 862	44 931	34 017	75.7%	14 324	31.9%	85
2010	47 062	45 783	35 139	76.7%	14 414	31.5%	78
2011	41 261	39 988	33 146	82.9%	15 215	38.0%	30
2012	45 562	44 670	36 990	82.8%	16 317	36.5%	26

Table 2: Western Cape National Senior Certificate Results 2009 – 2012: Mathematics and Physical Science

Year	Maths total	Maths %	PhSc total	PhSc %
2009	12 467	64.9%	7 064	52.9%
2010	11 571	66.0%	7 524	59.6%
2011	9 820	68.7%	7 137	65.3%
2012	11 311	73.5%	7 995	70.9%

Western Cape Preview on Matric Results 2013

Honour Madiba-legacy living his values

Not even a week after the late former President Nelson Mandela’s state funeral, details of a study emerged where about nine out of ten young people apparently think it would be an honourable thing to do, to honour Madiba’s legacy with a public holiday. 

Holiday best way to honour Mandela

I have a lot of issues with this:
I question the timing of the survey as I feel they could have waited, instead of doing the survey, as a family and nation bid their last farewell to the father of our nation.
A lot of surveys are done and it’s quite easy to do one, but I can’t help to question them. The results in reality do not reflect the view of all the people in that age group.
For some time now we’ve been having the debate on should South Africa not have lesser public holidays, why thus suggest another one. 
My remarks and questions on this are: We a secular democracy, but does our public holidays reflect this. In South Africa there is more than seven different kind of religion, so even if one is to argue that Christians are in the majority, are we not discriminating against another person based on his/her religion?

If you say we need to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela, I find it disturbing that especially young people who are fit and able to help grow our economy and create a better future for themselves, would even suggest another public holiday. In my view we could do away with one or two, maybe even more, public holidays. Madiba stood for inclusivity, but does our public holidays reflect inclusivity and one don’t even need to consult the calendar to know the answer is no.

If I could briefly go to the public holidays:
Only the Christian religion is included in the twelve existing public holidays, excluding important religious days for the Islam-, Jewish-, Bahá’í- and other religions. Days on our calendar are Freedom Day (when South Africans of all races could make their mark for our democracy), Youth Day (to mark the 1967 student uprising) and Women’s Day (in honour of the thousands of mothers and daughters who protested to the Union Buildings). In honour of human rights and to commemorate the Sharpville massacre we have Human Rights Day, to pay homage to the working class there is Workers Day and in December we have Reconciliation Day. 
Other days on our calendar are New Years day, Family day as an extension to Good Friday, Christmas and as an extension to Christmas celebrations there is Day of Goodwill. To celebrate the different heritages of our country we also have heritage day.
Apart from the twelve days, the Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) determines that whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following will be a public holiday.
From time to time the President of the Republic is generous and we get once-off Public Holidays like with a General election and on:
• 31 December 1999 and 2 (and 3) January 2000,
• 2 May 2008
• 27 December 2008

Back to my original post
Madiba and many others fought for us to enjoy a democracy with rights and responsibilities, is it fair towards them to suggest we should have a public holiday day to honour Madiba?
I decided to do my own survey and asked 23 young people between 18 and 25 if they think we should in honour of Nelson Mandela have a public holiday? – Now all of them reside in the Western Cape but are from different towns and backgrounds.
Two said it would be nice but would make the youth lazy, while the rest all said we don’t need another public holiday. We either have too many or could rename one is what four of those I asked said.

Here’s my take:
We know Madiba devoted 67 years towards building a better South Africa for all.
All around us; we see the need in our communities; we see unemployment, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, corruption, violence, etc… We should start by making every second of every minute during each hour of every day of the month in the year to make a difference by changing these factors in society. 
We should tell others:
• About the dangers of drugs
• Using protection when having sex and the consequences if you don’t (being HIV, teenage pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases and infections)
• Educate one to create employment opportunities and or to assist those seeking.
• Be the eyes and ears of the long arm of the law, by going to the police and tell them if you see a crime.
• Not to make yourself guilty on corruption or violence
• Never to judge
We should honour Madiba by living our lives with integrity, dignity and values – having a dream, believing in that dream and striving towards it. 

A statute of former President Nelson Mandela was unveiled by President Jacob G. Zuma on Reconciliation Day
(16 December 2013) at the Union Buildings. This took place a day after Madiba was laid to rest during a State Funeral and the unveiling which started 18 months prior coincided with the centenary of the Union Buildings.

Mandela demonstrated that action and ideas are not enough - Obama

Remarks by President of the United States of America, His Excellency Barakc Obama

at the Memorial Service of the late Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa

To Graça Machel and the Mandela family; to President Zuma and members of the government; to heads of state and government, past and present; distinguished guests - it is a singular honor to be with you today, to celebrate a life unlike any other. To the people of South Africa - people of every race and walk of life - the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us. His struggle was your struggle. His triumph was your triumph. Your dignity and hope found expression in his life, and your freedom, your democracy is his cherished legacy.

It is hard to eulogize any man - to capture in words not just the facts and the dates that make a life, but the essential truth of a person - their private joys and sorrows; the quiet moments and unique qualities that illuminate someone’s soul. How much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation toward justice, and in the process moved billions around the world.

Born during World War I, far from the corridors of power, a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by elders of his Thembu tribe - Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century. Like Gandhi, he would lead a resistance movement - a movement that at its start held little prospect of success. Like King, he would give potent voice to the claims of the oppressed, and the moral necessity of racial justice. He would endure a brutal imprisonment that began in the time of Kennedy and Khrushchev, and reached the final days of the Cold War. Emerging from prison, without force of arms, he would - like Lincoln - hold his country together when it threatened to break apart. Like America’s founding fathers, he would erect a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations - a commitment to democracy and rule of law ratified not only by his election, but by his willingness to step down from power.

Given the sweep of his life, and the adoration that he so rightly earned, it is tempting then to remember Nelson Mandela as an icon, smiling and serene, detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men. But Madiba himself strongly resisted such a lifeless portrait. Instead, he insisted on sharing with us his doubts and fears; his miscalculations along with his victories. “I’m not a saint,” he said, “unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”

It was precisely because he could admit to imperfection - because he could be so full of good humor, even mischief, despite the heavy burdens he carried - that we loved him so. He was not a bust made of marble; he was a man of flesh and blood - a son and husband, a father and a friend. That is why we learned so much from him; that is why we can learn from him still. For nothing he achieved was inevitable. In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness; persistence and faith. He tells us what’s possible not just in the pages of dusty history books, but in our own lives as well.

Mandela showed us the power of action; of taking risks on behalf of our ideals. Perhaps Madiba was right that he inherited, “a proud rebelliousness, a stubborn sense of fairness” from his father. Certainly he shared with millions of black and colored South Africans the anger born of, “a thousand slights, a thousand indignities, a thousand unremembered moments…a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people.”

But like other early giants of the ANC - the Sisulus and Tambos - Madiba disciplined his anger; and channeled his desire to fight into organization, and platforms, and strategies for action, so men and women could stand-up for their dignity. Moreover, he accepted the consequences of his actions, knowing that standing up to powerful interests and injustice carries a price. “I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination,” he said at his 1964 trial. “I’ve cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Mandela taught us the power of action, but also ideas; the importance of reason and arguments; the need to study not only those you agree with, but those who you don’t. He understood that ideas cannot be contained by prison walls, or extinguished by a sniper’s bullet. He turned his trial into an indictment of apartheid because of his eloquence and passion, but also his training as an advocate. He used decades in prison to sharpen his arguments, but also to spread his thirst for knowledge to others in the movement. And he learned the language and customs of his oppressor so that one day he might better convey to them how their own freedom depended upon his.

Mandela demonstrated that action and ideas are not enough; no matter how right, they must be chiseled into laws and institutions. He was practical, testing his beliefs against the hard surface of circumstance and history. On core principles he was unyielding, which is why he could rebuff offers of conditional release, reminding the Apartheid regime that, “prisoners cannot enter into contracts.” But as he showed in painstaking negotiations to transfer power and draft new laws, he was not afraid to compromise for the sake of a larger goal. And because he was not only a leader of a movement, but a skillful politician, the Constitution that emerged was worthy of this multiracial democracy; true to his vision of laws that protect minority as well as majority rights, and the precious freedoms of every South African.

Finally, Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There is a word in South Africa- Ubuntu - that describes his greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that can be invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us. We can never know how much of this was innate in him, or how much of was shaped and burnished in a dark, solitary cell. But we remember the gestures, large and small - introducing his jailors as honored guests at his inauguration; taking the pitch in a Springbok uniform; turning his family’s heartbreak into a call to confront HIV/AIDS - that revealed the depth of his empathy and understanding. He not only embodied Ubuntu; he taught millions to find that truth within themselves. It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailor as well; to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you; to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it with inclusion, generosity and truth. He changed laws, but also hearts.

For the people of South Africa, for those he inspired around the globe - Madiba’s passing is rightly a time of mourning, and a time to celebrate his heroic life. But I believe it should also prompt in each of us a time for self-reflection. With honesty, regardless of our station or circumstance, we must ask: how well have I applied his lessons in my own life?

It is a question I ask myself - as a man and as a President. We know that like South Africa, the United States had to overcome centuries of racial subjugation. As was true here, it took the sacrifice of countless people - known and unknown - to see the dawn of a new day. Michelle and I are the beneficiaries of that struggle. But in America and South Africa, and countries around the globe, we cannot allow our progress to cloud the fact that our work is not done. The struggles that follow the victory of formal equality and universal franchise may not be as filled with drama and moral clarity as those that came before, but they are no less important. For around the world today, we still see children suffering from hunger, and disease; run-down schools, and few prospects for the future. Around the world today, men and women are still imprisoned for their political beliefs; and are still persecuted for what they look like, or how they worship, or who they love.

We, too, must act on behalf of justice. We, too, must act on behalf of peace. There are too many of us who happily embrace Madiba’s legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality. There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people. And there are too many of us who stand on the sidelines, comfortable in complacency or cynicism when our voices must be heard.

The questions we face today - how to promote equality and justice; to uphold freedom and human rights; to end conflict and sectarian war - do not have easy answers. But there were no easy answers in front of that child in Qunu. Nelson Mandela reminds us that it always seems impossible until it is done. South Africa shows us that is true. South Africa shows us we can change. We can choose to live in a world defined not by our differences, but by our common hopes. We can choose a world defined not by conflict, but by peace and justice and opportunity.

We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. But let me say to the young people of Africa, and young people around the world - you can make his life’s work your own. Over thirty years ago, while still a student, I learned of Mandela and the struggles in this land. It stirred something in me. It woke me up to my responsibilities - to others, and to myself - and set me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. And while I will always fall short of Madiba’s example, he makes me want to be better. He speaks to what is best inside us. After this great liberator is laid to rest; when we have returned to our cities and villages, and rejoined our daily routines, let us search then for his strength - for his largeness of spirit - somewhere inside ourselves. And when the night grows dark, when injustice weighs heavy on our hearts, or our best laid plans seem beyond our reach - think of Madiba, and the words that brought him comfort within the four walls of a cell:
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

What a great soul it was. We will miss him deeply. May God bless the memory of Nelson Mandela. May God bless the people of South Africa.

Pres. Obama address video

PA’s political xmas gift

End November saw the birth of yet another political party in South Africa and in particular the Western Cape. The birth of political parties has become a trend, before an election, so what makes this one stand out.

For starters some claim it was started by Businessman aka sushi-king, Kenny Kunene and his business associate, Gayton McKenzie. They might be the resources support of this party and Kenny might have registered the party – I mean like in really get someone who will give you a catchy headline to register your party and you will definitely get more than a community newspaper covering your conference – but I doubt this is their brainchild.

I firmly believe Kenny is not the driving force behind the Patriotic Alliance. Kenny might have the money, but it is a community leader on grassroots level who can mobilize more than a hundred, even two hundred people, to attend a political gathering. Not even Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters-party (of which Kenny was first a member) could attract 50 people to its gathering in Cape Town recently (I think they were even less than ten). And JuJu is well a bigger political force than Kenny.

I have this theory in my head that the driving force behind PA is the many unhappy former Independent Democrats-members, the party started in 2003 by former PAC MP now Cape Town Executive Mayor under the banner of the Democratic Alliance, Patricia De Lille. In 2010/2011 the ID and DA decided on dual membership and while some ID-members might have joined the DA, let’s not turn a blind eye to the many who decided not to follow the leader.

Interesting or part of PA’s strategy to note the Patriotic Alliance’s Policy (launch) Conference took place the same weekend as the Independent Democrats held their last conference.

The ID will cease to exist, as it will not take part in next years General Elections and also did not take part in the 2011 Local Government Elections.

Not that my opinion matters but do I think PA can go up against a few heavyweights? If next year was a LGE, without a doubt they might have won a council or two, even three.

Taking the performance of the ID, Cope, ACDP and a few others in a General Election into consideration, it would not surprise me if PA actually won a seat in the provincial legislature, flip not even a seat in the National Assembly would surprise me. I don’t think though that they would get enough votes to govern or even be the official opposition. I don’t even think they would get a million votes. I do know though I would not ignore PA and Push Asside their bark, they appealing to a very influential group/s in the Western Cape and if their leaders in the community could get more than a hundred people to a meeting without any advertising, publicity or mentioning of PA before their official launch, they likely to double those numbers now.

http://mg.co.za/article/2013-12-01-patriotic-alliance-plan-green-revolution

No matter who you voting for, it's important to make your X in #Election2014