The announcement was made at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park.
The Peermont Education Trust, which is one of the company’s Community Outreach Programmes was established in 2001 with an annual budget of R30 million to provide scholarships to youth’s from the East Rand.
The scholars and some recipients of the bursaries were accompanied by their parents to celebrate what their children have achieved and, those who are at tertiary institutions to share with them that hard work does pay dividends.
The objective of the Trust is to provide deserving students from the Ekurhuleni region, with scholarships to further their studies.
These are young people from township-based schools selected on the basis of their academic performance, their ambition and integral sense of purpose.
Nomalanga Ndlovu (22) who will be studying Hospitality course says she looks forward to the course having grown interest to work within the tourism sector.
“I am delighted for having been fortunate to be one of successful recipient of the Peermont Education Trust, and I promise to work hard and complete the course because without this, my family would have not managed to get me here due to poor background.
They supported me during my studying days and look forward sharing the information with other students to apply next year.”
“Without this bursary one would have not had a chance to study further. I’m grateful to the Peermont for affording us this chance, and the only way to repay them back is by completing the course and entering the workplace,” quipped Lerato Kobeng who upon receiving the scholarship shed a tear of joy.
Both Nomalanga and Lerato will be studying at Peermont Training Development Centre for a year.
Since the establishment of the trust, the hospitality group has produced 400 graduates thus far.
Vusi Zwane, Corporate Executive at Peermont says it was heartening seeing these youngsters trying so hard to craft their future.
“As part of the company’s mandate to emancipate the economic justification through education, for us it shows we’re doing the right thing in that, when they complete their course, they should be market ready. When that happens it means we’re on the right track.
“The Peermont Education Trust is one of the BBBEE vehicles created by Emperors Palace Resort. Unlike most bursary schemes, students are not restricted to study certain professions but can choose their own field.
A variety of courses have been selected in the past, ranging from B.Com, Mechanical and Electrical engineering to Physics,” commented Zwane.
Furthermore, the Trust has embarked on an ambitious drive to assist students in obtaining Industrial skills and trades through its Lesedi Programme, which will fund an additional 30 students for this year alone.
They have been enrolled in various programmes including electrical, millwright, fitter and turner, car mechanic, nursing and hospitality at various institutions.
Malebo Mpepele, Group Training Development Manager at Peermont had nothing but words of encouragement to her learners; this is going to prove how far would you go in achieving what past recipients of the bursary obtained.
“The future is in your hands and, again should consider yourselves privileged because your other peers were not lucky enough to have this kind of opportunity.”
“Ours is to ascertain that all the courses which these learners would be taking are of quality and internationally recognized,” says Lesley Nhlapo from Culture, Arts, Tourism and Hospitality (CATH-SETA).
Students are studying fields that are classified as scarce skills in the country, according to Mpepele.
As a measure to further grow the number of skilled young people in the area, bursars are encouraged to ‘plough back’ into their communities and as a result they have been conducting academic support programmes in their respective schools during vacations.
To date 73 university graduates have received employment having received 86% pass rate.
