Gone are the days when Matrics were guaranteed a job soon after completing high school. Sitting at 59% currently, the scourge of youth unemployment hasn’t relented; worse still with the current job crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. And that’s not the only challenge on their hands.
For those privileged enough to go to university, it’s not all good news. Graduate unemployment is very high currently, with 33% of graduates unemployed at the beginning of 2020 before the lockdown rocked the economy.
Even if one chooses a sure career, the amount of fees you would have to fork out is quite substantial, at an average of R192,600 (based on individual fee prices from SA’s tertiary institutions) for a full undergraduate program. Now that’s quite a bit of change.
To make matters worse, the current schooling system is designed to manufacture workers (employees) rather than business owners (employers), making school leavers highly dependent on employers of which currently there are none, hence our unemployment rate of 43.1%. . What if there was an alternative scenario where you could be your own boss?
The School of Entrepreneurship
Founded by Leon Lategan, the School of Entrepreneurship is there to create entrepreneurs with the idea that this will drive economic growth to aid recovery and ultimately improve the living standards of South Africans.
Its main purpose is to develop 10,000 entrepreneurs within 5 years who will be able to create sustainable and profitable businesses. This will in turn help to reduce unemployment through job creation.
When Leon and the team realised the horrific youth unemployment and university drop out rates, cost of tuition and all the challenges facing our school-leavers, they set out on an entrepreneurial coaching drive to help remedy it. Today, the School of Entrepreneurship equips South African youths with the necessary entrepreneurial mindset and skills they need to generate an income, using online coaching and training programmes.
Learning from accomplished entrepreneurs
Before setting off on a career path, there are a few startling facts every Matric and their parents should know first. Leon is hosting a series of free Taking a ‘Gap Year With Purpose’ webinars with Q&A at the end to share these facts.
The webinars run every Tuesday during any one of two selected (10 am or 8 pm) 30-minute slots via Zoom. On the webinars attendees learn:
- What every Matric needs to know right now before choosing a field of study
- Why you absolutely must learn to create your own opportunities as an entrepreneur
- How our Entrepreneurship Mastery Programme sets you up for success in life and business
One lucky webinar attendant will also win a bursary for the programme when the webinar series ends. To qualify, all you need to do is register for a session, attend and stay until the end of the webinar.
Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?
The idea is for matriculants to put the brakes on any university plans, just for a bit (even if they are ready to start studying), so they can first learn about the various areas of business and becoming an entrepreneur as an alternative to working for someone else.
The Entrepreneurship Mastery Programme
Once enrolled, students will learn how to become self-sufficient and create their own opportunities. By attending the lectures and completing the assignments, they can launch your business within 12 months, and start earning an income!
- When and where? Classes start on 1 March 2021, online
- How long? 2 hours per day for 28 weeks, until 29 October 2021
- How much? R24,990, but if you sign up before 31 December 2020 you’ll pay only R19,900. That’s a R5,000 or 20% discount! Payment plans are also available.
- What else? Backed by a 100% Fee-Payback Guarantee.
Want to know more? Visit the School of Entrepreneurship to learn about the Entrepreneurship Mastery Programme.
Additionally, an eight-part Youth in Crisis article series is coming in the following weeks which will give you further insight into the challenges plaguing South Africa’s youth and how they can be overcome. Stay tuned so you don’t miss these insights!
