3,200 learners attend Saica Fasset Development Camps during winter holidays

Learners during the Saica Fasset Development camp in Free State

Targeting grade 11 and 12 learners, the camps are held across South Africa during winter holidays and are a collaborative effort between Saica-accredited universities, the Department of Basic Education, Financial Services Board, and members of the accounting profession as well as other various professions.

In each province, these camps last for seven days and form part of Saica's strategy to aid the global drive for transformation, employment, and growth by supporting social and economic development as outlined in the National Development Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Free State MEC for education, Makalo Mohale, attended one of the award ceremonies held at the end of a camp to celebrate top-performing pupils throughout the course of the week, and to affirm the significant impact that Saica and Fasset has had in transforming the education landscape in previously disadvantaged communities.

MEC Mohale expressed his hopeful anticipation of the country’s future leaders. “Quality education is the key to shaping and creating future leaders who will be responsible for addressing the needs of society and one of the benefits of these camps is that it imparted leadership skills in the learners because it taught them how to collaborate and how to work with different people from any background. I’m grateful to Saica because we cannot have chartered accountants or scientists who work in silos.” He emphasised that the aim of the education system is to create holistic leaders.

Saica’s executive for transformational projects, Gugu Makhanya, emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships to the success and vitality of the camps. “Our development camps pride themselves on being a key driver of transformation in the profession and key role players such as the Department of Education in the provinces and Fasset as the main sponsor make this a reality, as this transformation starts at school-level.” Makhanya went on to extend gratitude to all the Saica accredited universities for imparting knowledge on the CA(SA) student pipeline and urged the pupils to stay focused.

“We encourage learners to obtain a minimum of 60% (Level 5) in critical subjects like mathematics, and english so that they qualify to study bachelor’s degrees at tertiary institutions. Apart from learning, we ensure learners who attend these camps are empowered with the necessary study skills and techniques to excel in their studies,” explains Makhanya.

“The camps also develop learners to make informed decisions and empower them with basic life skills and career information to help them make wise and appropriate career choices,” adds Makhanya.

The impact of these development camps has been remarkable, with Saica's analysis revealing that many learners achieve results surpassing the camps' minimum targets in their final matric exams.

“Fasset as the main funder of these Development Camps prides itself in driving transformation through partnership with Saica. Our partnership with Saica carries instrumental value in the Fasset pipeline, more especially at the entry-level. Enhancing the capabilities of our matriculants ensures they better their chances of entering higher education and eventually the employment pool within the finance and accounting services sector. This partnership also exposes learners to professional bodies early on as a point of reference for professional designation pathing”, said Ayanda Mafuleka CA(SA), Fasset CEO.

The success of the Saica Fasset Development Camps underscores their vital role in fostering the growth and potential of South Africa's future leaders and professionals. As Saica remains committed to its mission of driving transformation, employment, and growth, the impact of these initiatives continues to contribute significantly to the nation's development goals.

The next set of camps takes place in the first week of October.