Learners: You have multiple options
JOBURG – University may not be the only path you may need to follow when you complete your national senior certificate.
As Grade 12 learners prepare to write their final examination, many may be wondering what their next steps will be.
The managing director of College SA, Eloise Nolte, urged that the decision learners make after completing their school career is critical to their career prospects.
This is due to the fact that matriculants will be entering one of the toughest job markets. This is also exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.
Nolte said that while many still choose a university as their post-Grade 12 path, there is an ever-growing list of exciting, quality alternatives for learners who wish to follow another path.
There are also options for those who haven’t managed to complete matric. With a Grade 10, 11 or 12 qualification learners can move upwards in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) levels. In South Africa, the NQF is the system used to measure levels of learning.
There are 10 NQF levels and they fall into three categories:
• General and further education and training qualifications sub-framework
• Higher educational qualifications sub- framework
• Occupational qualifications sub- framework.
Understanding these levels and how they work can help learners to find vacancies for which they’re qualified. Achieving the next NQF level also doesn’t necessarily involve going to university.
Many of these qualifications can be achieved through distance learning, adult education and training institutions, or through technical and vocational education and training colleges.
Learners can start by looking at the fields that are most in-demand today, and assess whether their interests fit these fields of study before exploring how they might go about completing the next NQF level.
