A group of almost 700 students in the chemical industry will benefit from R40m set aside by the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority for their studies.
The authority's CEO, Yershen Pillay, said the money would go a long way in helping students who needed funding to complete their studies.
Pillay said 692 students whose families did not qualify for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding but also could not afford to pay for their children’s studies would benefit from the funds.
“A number of these students had historical debt and that has created a bottle neck in the talent pool for chemical industries. As a result, the talent required in this industry is constrained as these students cannot get their qualifications,” Pillay said.
He said they had set aside more than R32m to pay for the historical debts of 552 students and R8m would support 140 students in work-integrated learning and workplace-based training.
Pillay said this was done through a project called Lesedi Youth Fund.
“Lesedi means light as we are brightening the future of the students by paying off their historical debts and providing funds towards the completion of their studies,” he said.
Pillay said that a considerable number of students in SA fell into the funding gap where they could not afford to pay for their university fees and also did not qualify for NSFAS funding.
“The purpose of the project is to provide funding for missing middle learners who are in their final year of study. Learners will be supported for qualifications that fall within the chemicals sector and are aligned with the skills strategy of the economic reconstruction and recovery plan,” Pillay said.
The institutions that would benefit include the Tshwane University of Technology, the Vaal University of Technology, the Nelson Mandela University, the Mangosuthu University of Technology, the Durban University of Technology and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
“We are hoping to increase the funding in the next financial year and we are calling on the private sector to join this initiative. Student debt is not a governmental problem but a societal problem,” he said.
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