WELCOME BY SSS MANAGER

On behalf of the Student Support Services unit (SSS) I would like to welcome you into our unit and wish you well for this academic year.  We are committed in assisting students with personal barriers to learning. Our aim is to support and give students every opportunity to succeed. This support may include services such as academic support, counselor and psychological services, physical, financial and social well being, etc. For more information on services we offer do not hesitate to consult your local student liaison officer (SLO).

 

INDUCTION

All students are guaranteed an induction to both the college and their programme of study. Induction programmes are structured so that the delivery methods match the needs of each client group and fulfill the college’s aim to provide the information and support needed by students at the beginning of their course. The main aim of induction is to introduce students to the full compliment services offered by the collage as well as relevant course information, in order to assist students to achieve their personal objectives through smooth transition to college life.

 

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Financial assistance is awarded to a student according to the level of his/her needs, taking into account the financial circumstances of the family. If the student is eligible, his/her award is in the form of a financial package – part loan/part bursary. The loan is usually repayable.

 

BURSARIES / FINANCIAL AID

A bursary is financial assistance given to a student for further study or training. Bursaries may differ in the amounts of money and duration period. Financial assistance in the given to students selected according to various criteria set by the donors. This could include academic merit or financial need. Some bursaries have conditions attached to them, such as contract bursaries require learners to sign a contract to enter the employ of the donor organization after graduation. The contract is usually on a year-for-year basis. This means that if you were awarded a bursary for three years, you will have to “repay” the organization by working for them for three years after your graduation.

 

Selection procedures will also include screening the applicant’s suitability as a future employee. In certain cases, a student who does not abide by his/her obligations will be held liable for repayment if he/her fails to complete the course or degree.

 

You may have to work for the company for as long as you held the bursary

You may have to be active in the community.

A bursary is only made available for successful study.

Prospective students should note that all subjects which have been completed, before or after receipt of a bursary, must be repeated at their own cost.

If a student has not obtained admission to the following academic year, No bursary monies or allowance are payable in respect of that year, and the student is expected to repeat the outstanding academic year at his/her own cost.

If a student has withdrawn from study or ceases to study on his/her own initiative, the student is liable to refund to the company/department all bursary monies paid out directly to him/her or on his/her behalf.

If you do not commence with your studies in the year for which the bursary was awarded to you, the bursary will lapse and you must re-apply for a bursary.

You may not accept more than one bursary.

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FINANCIAL AID

These are funds made available by the DoE to assist students enrolled or intending to enroll at the FET College for NCV programmes who are unable to fund their studies. The bursary covers tuition fees only.

 

Information on sourcing study loans and bursaries from other institutions is also provided by the SSS unit. Contact your SLO for more information.

 

LEARNERSHIPS

A Learnership is a structured learning programme, combined with practical work experience which leads to a registered qualification. It is a workplace-based route to learning which must lead to a nationally recognized qualification registered on the National Qualification Framework (NQF). Its major focus is on vocationally / employment oriented learning which takes into account the needs of the labour market both locally and globally.

 

WHY LEARNERSHIPS?

One of the fundamental objectives of the new government is to develop the human resources of the country. This is among the most pressing requirements for economic growth and personal development. Human resource development requires improved education and training which is relevant to the labour market needs of both the national and global economy. South Africa is currently being rated very low on human resource development compared to other countries. Learnerships therefore provide an opportunity for those already employed to be retrained in order to upgrade their skills  Secondly, learnerships also offer experiential learning opportunities to those who are in need for on – job training. A skilled workforce will contribute to increased productivity which will in return help to improve the socio-economic life of the workers for the benefit of the country.

 

 WHAT IS AN INTERNSHIP?

Internship - is a supervised discipline-related work experience. The work experience may be part-time or full-time and can be paid or unpaid.

Intern - student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training.

Trainee: an assistant or trainee working to gain practical experience in an occupation

 

BENEFITS TO COMPLETING AN INTERNSHIP

The opportunity to experience different jobs and working environments and to build skills that you’ll not be exposed to at university.

An internship affords you the opportunity to test out a career you might be interested in following with out any full-time commitment.

You’ll be one step ahead of the competition when competing for jobs because you’ll have work experience, you’ll have something on your CV that few others will have, so you’ll stand out from the crowd.

Many companies would rather hire their interns first before considering other candidates.

It affords you the opportunity to demonstrate to your superior’s performance that is not measured purely through academic results.

 

INTERNSHIP VALUE

The value gained from an internship can be based on a number of aspects of the experience. While students most often brag about their hourly salaries and compare such to friends, deep down there is usually a deeper sense of value gained from an internship that pay stubs do not show. For myself, I believe my communication with technical professionals and fellow employees has certainly improved from the past. I have a better understanding of what it feels like to be outside of the “college bubble”, where your performance and motivation is observed by managers and supervisors and not demonstrated through percentage points earned in a class room. Stress management is also an important value that I have gained as it is often stressful to manage daily commutes to and from work, yet along accomplish the work set out for you. In the smallest sense, an internship provides you a broader understanding of being part of a group of people all striving towards the same goals. The actual realization of those goals can at

often times be stressful, but when they are realized the feeling is stronger than the completion of any assignment or report in college. And such is what education is truly about...not getting all A’s and B’s on your report card, but learning what it will take to excel in life after college.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

The SSS unit focuses on offering effective, flexible, creative and student-centered academic development initiatives that aim to support students in achieving their academic goals. It offers workshops and ongoing group training to develop specific and generic learning skills. An academic support plan was develop to provide necessary support:

 

The SSS unit runs the flagship program: the Tutoring Program, which utilizes highly performing students and qualified candidates to offer tutorials to all our students.  The PLATO and Learnscapes programs are also our additional learning support programs offered to our students. We have Winter School which pays more focus on Mathematics, Mathematics Literacy and English. Regular experiential workshops which focus on students’ immediate skills enhancement, such as time management, coping and stress management skills, memory enhancement, study skills, exam preparation and many others are also offered.

 

PLACEMENT AND SELECTION TEST

All new students are required to write a placement and selection test before they register. The test is not aimed to exclude students but to identify students’ weaknesses in Mathematics and English in order that necessary academic support is provided

 

TUTORIAL SUPPORT

Should students feel a need for an extra tuition to improve academic results, a class of at least 10 students must visit the Student Liaison Officer and request a tutorial. In liaison with the lecturer and campus manager then the SLO will organize a tutor for free classes.

 

PLATO PROGRAMME – (Web based)

The programme has been improved and is now web-based, quick and easily accessible. Plato programme is available at 5 delivery sites (Mpumalanga, Qadi, Pinetown, KwaMashu and Ntuzuma campuses) and incorporated into the time table. Plato provides over 6000 hours of outcomes-based problem solving and award winning courseware consisting of: Reading and Writing, English, Mathematics, Science, Biology, Social Studies, Life Skills, Communication and Work Skills.

 

LEARNSCAPES PROGRAMME

The Learn Scapes HIV/Aids Computerized Programmes consist of the following:

 

LIFE SKILLS

HIV/Aids, Nutrition, Testing, ARV’s, Opportunistic Infections, TB, Diarrhea and Malaria.

 

TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

PC Basics, Internet Literacy, Word Processing, Excel, Power Point,

E-mail, Internet Explorer, Windows.

 

The college has employed facilitators in each campus to facilitate such programmes

 

DP SYSTEM

The college has adopted and 80% Duly Performed (DP) system with regards to student’s attendance, assessments and assignments, as prescribed in the college admission policy. This is aimed at assisting both students and lecturers in achieving the college’s goal of a minimum pass of 80% in the examinations.

 

STUDENT TRACKING SYSTEM

This system is specially designed to track past and present students in terms of finding employment.  Students will have to enter their CV’s so that they can be accessible to employers. Information on their CV’s can be edited from time to time.

This site can assist students to access their examination timetable, marks etc.

 

READING CLUBS

The SSS unit facilitates reading clubs at all campuses and runs an annual Reading Competition This is aimed at promoting a culture of reading amongst the Elangeni collage students. Entry into the clubs is voluntary and free of charge for registered students.

 

CULTURAL AND SPORTING ACTIVITIES

The college believes in a “Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body”. We promote the participating in different sporting codes where students integrate and socialize. Codes include soccer, netball, volleyball and basketball. Other social and cultural events are:

Youth Day Celebrations

Annual reading competition

Women’s Day Celebration

Annual college Sports Day

Campuses’ sports events

Mr. and Miss Elangeni Pageant

And Heritage Day

 

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL (SRC)

The college also has a Student Representative Council. This body’s main purpose is to serve the interest of a broader student community, irrespective of their political affiliation, ideology, religion, age, creed, gender and social status. It aims to contribute towards the advancement of student’s academic, psychological and social levels. The SRC Executive is representation of all campuses. The council represents students in the:

 

College council

Academic Council (Senate)

Financial Aid Committee

 

CAREER GUIDANCE & COUNSELLING

The college has two career programmes available for students namely;

 

Brain Profile on electronic and paper based format  and

Pace Career guidance on electronic format

Both programmes are available on request at all campuses.

A Student Counselor is also available for career guidance and personal counseling, who is very professional who ensures that confidentiality is strictly adhered to.

Student Liaison Officers are employed at all campuses to assist students in all matters relating academic and non academic.

 

THE FOLLOWING LIFE SKILLS WORKSHOPS ARE OFFERED:

Time management and study skills, stress management skills, exam preparation, job hunting skills such as CV writing, letter for job application, interview skills and organization behavioral skills. This type of support is aimed at assisting students in career pathing as well.

 

EXIT LEVELS

Student Support Services Unit has employed a Student Placement Officer to assist student at exit level to deal with student placement and alumni which forms a basket of responsibilities that we believe it matches the interest, vision and mission of the College.

 

STUDENT PLACEMENT / EXIT OPPORTUNITIES

As a College we make sure that we maintain and update a pro-active student placement, we ensure that by creating an employment agency for students in the College, establish network and build partnerships with prospective employer partners for student placement. The whole package of student placement is: life skills workshops, learnerships, internships, job placement and in-service training.

 

For more information, please contact the Student Support Services unit on Tel: 031 - 716 6700 or studentsupport.elacao@feta.gov.za