JB Marks awards receive more corporate sponsorship

The JB Marks awards were created in conjunction with Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) to applaud those who despite of their circumstance have seized the opportunity to garner further education.

These corporates join a number of other corporate such as the resorts and casino group Peermont, leading media owner Primedia, mining group Optimum Coal, petrol chemical company BP South Africa, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), ICT distribution company Westcon South Africa and BEE investment company Shanduka in support of these awards.

More than 700 bursars have graduated

This year 42 students will be recognised for their outstanding efforts in their field of study and 11 top student awards will be handed over for exceptional academic performance. Since inception in 1997, the trust has helped 709 bursars to graduate. Currently, 250 JB Marks bursars are studying at various tertiary institutions.

The awards to be presented this year are the Most Consistent Learner Award, the JB Marks Merit Award (for three students with the highest aggregate marks and completed their studies within the prescribed time frame), and the JB Marks Course Awards (for seven top achievers in the fields of commerce and management, engineering and the built environment, science, social sciences, computer studies and technology, medical studies, and the arts and performing arts).

"We are grateful to all the sponsors that have come on board to make these awards possible," says MIC CEO Mary Bomela. "Corporate social investment should be a requisite that is practiced in every organisation, in order to give back to the community in which they operate. With these awards we would like to foster a movement toward further corporate involvement in creating opportunities for future leaders to emerge."