Work hard and good fortune will come your way

"Whatever their choice or opportunity, Eduloan wishes them only the best for their future. These young achievers are, after all, also South Africa's future leaders and their welfare and success will impact on the country as a whole," says Totsie Memela-Khambula, CEO of Eduloan.

For those entering the job market, the employment situation may seem rather desperate, with more South Africans currently receiving money from welfare than from employment. South Africa has a poor employment growth and economists estimate that matriculants have but a 25% probability of finding a job.

"Matriculants working towards their tertiary studies, especially those who have not applied at universities because they were waiting for their matric results, need to understand that not all will be accepted as students," says Memela-Khambula.

"This is certainly not the end of the world," she says, "A university degree is not the be-all and end-all of further education. Too few of our matriculants consider a career as an artisan, i.e. as a plumber or boilermaker, in spite of a huge shortage of those skills in our economy. Further Education and Training is another option that should not be over-looked."

Memela-Khambula urges matriculants to take a practical view of their future. "If you have the means and the matric results to enable you to enter tertiary academic institutions, go for it and work hard. If not, there are other ways to qualify yourself. Most people can find a way to study further, even if this means part-time study via technikons in South Africa, Unisa, or a FET college. Many places of work also offer training via the Seta system," she says.

To help prospective students on their way financially, Eduloan offers a variety of financing options. For more information, call Eduloan's Client Services Department on 0860-55-55-44 or visit www.eduloan.co.za. Follow us on Twitter/EduloanSA and Facebook/EduloanSA.