It’s always exciting to see tutors take the next step towards reaching their professional goals. Lwanda Stefaans was a Kingsway Primary School tutor in Zandspruit in 2021 where she worked alongside fellow tutor, Rino Motladi. Now Lwanda is a first year Bachelor of Education student at the North West University. She has chosen to focus on Senior and FET phase, with a view to teaching history. Lwanda shares her experience The experience of working at Kingsway was amazing! I enjoyed learning about a variety of different things. So far, I haven’t experienced anything negative, and I’m confident it will remain that way. One of the best aspects of the work is the communication between the employers and employees. I believe the YES4YOUTH platform really facilitates this relationship. My biggest challenge was finding ways to help struggling learners. There were a few troublemakers but I soon learned to manage them so that the classroom environment was […]
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One dream at a time on International Youth Day
On International Youth Day the world focuses on issues impacting on young people. Celebrating youth potential in the technology sphere allows us to share Thulisile Thukwana’s inspiring story. She is an alumnus of the JumpCO Software Labs. Flying a young girl’s dreams Thulisile Thukwana (32) from Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg was raised by her grandmother for most of her life. “My mother passed away when I was 10 and my sister was 5. We did not have much, but my grandmother ensured that all our basic needs were covered,” she said. Thulisile was always smart at school and her grades were unaffected by the home situation. “Until I could go to the library by myself, I borrowed books and read anything I could find! I was fascinated by all the new things I learned every day.” Dreams of becoming a pilot drove her to study hard for good grades. “My family was very supportive […]
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Q&A with JumpCo alumnus, Tlangelani Maluleke.
When JumpCo alumnus, Tlangelani Maluleke, completed matric at Malvern High School, she wasn’t too clear about her life’s goals. She chats to us on Heritage Day about being raised in a traditional Tsonga family, and her personal values and inspiration. On a spring evening in Johannesburg, Dzunisani, 4, has dragged his mom away from her laptop to sit with him after supper. It’s been a long day with her at work, so really this is “his” time! They are watching cartoons on TV when the call comes through. He’s not too impressed! Fortunately his father, Javulani, is on standby, and entertains him during Mom’s interview. What were your career aspirations? As a school leaver I knew that anything to do with computing appealed to me, so I enrolled at Vaal University of Technology for a National Diploma in Information Technology. That was a three-year course, which I completed with average marks. If a crystal ball […]
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Interview tips for job hungry tutors and interns
At JumpStart and JumpCo we pride ourselves on choosing high-potential youth for our learnerships and internships. Tutors and trainees are supported with modest stipends and are encouraged to complete their qualifications. Some who demonstrate particular ability and aptitude are helped with StudyAssist bursaries provided by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, SASOL, the Buyani Trust and other donors. Soft skills, life skills and hard work Work readiness requires a combination of life skills, qualifications, confidence and technical abilities. Getting through a job interview requires soft skills and common sense! Azraa Noah has interviewed scores of people in her time as talent manager. She shares her reflections on how best to prepare for and present yourself at an interview. Do your research Before applying for the position, find out about the company. Read their webpage and blog. Research what the competition says about the organisation in the news. Know what industry related salaries are and set realistic […]
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Molefe Skosana’s journey from mentee to mentor
Not many alumni travel through JumpStart and JumpCo Software Labs, but Molefe Skosana is now a software developer for a luxury car manufacturer in Midrand, where he continues developing the skills and building on the knowledge that he gained during his internship. We caught up with him to find out what has changed for him in the interim. Back in 2014 when JumpStart started in Sasolburg, Molefe was a BSc (Computer Science) student at UNISA. He joined the NumberSense team as a tutor and thoroughly enjoyed working at Credo Primary. Steve Mahony recognised his potential and invited him to join the JumpCo software labs. With a StudyAssist bursary from SASOL he continued his degree and his career took off from that point. Molefe Skosana, then and now I live in Kagiso now, but I’m in the process of moving house. At 29, it’s time to become a family man. Looking back to my time in JumpStart, […]
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