SAPOA Bursary Scheme receives a boost

SAPOA (South African Property Owners Association) is making positive strides forward in the implementation of its bursary scheme. In a move which will help drive the project ahead, Pareto Ltd has provided R1.2 million for the sponsorship funding required by SAPOA.

Pareto’s sponsorship will go towards bursaries for previously disadvantaged university students in Property Studies, previously disadvantaged matric students in mathematics and science, and the mentorship programme in support for the university students.

The first of these to be implemented will be the winter/spring school for Grade 12 learners. The aim of the exercise is to raise the performance of learners in mathematics, science and English, thereby increasing pass rates and improving their chances of entry into tertiary institutions, particularly for property studies. The sponsored scholars will be considered by SAPOA for bursaries at the tertiary level in 2010.

Alex Phakathi, managing director of Pareto Ltd says, “We are passionate about education and vocational training and the important role this plays in developing skills and improving and broadening the base of the South African economy.

“We are particularly excited about our contribution to the SAPOA bursary scheme as it will assist in uplifting disadvantaged students. This also gives them a chance to enter the fascinating property industry which is one of the most vital anchors of commerce and industry in any country. There is a critical need for mathematics skills to be improved before learners enter tertiary education, so we are pleased to be involved with this initiative. This is an extension of our Training Programme that has been running for the last four years.”

“The creation of the SAPOA Bursary Scheme is one of the solutions to address the current and future skills crisis within the commercial property industry,” explains CEO of SAPOA Neil Gopal.

Margie Chessman, Human Resource Development manager at SAPOA adds, “Because the property industry is competing against other attractive industries for the best talent, SAPOA will continue its efforts to market the property industry as an industry of choice via career days and promotional material such as SAPOA’s career guide”.

The SAPOA bursary scheme and related study disciplines, qualifications and career opportunities in the property industry will be marketed to 200 schools that have been identified nationally as being suitable for recruitment. These are schools with proven track records in delivering good maths and science results.

Students who have a proven capacity for being able to work independently and who come from previously disadvantaged schools which have produced finance and engineering graduates over the past 15 years will be targeted.