While the celebration of Youth Day relates to the hardships faced by young, underprivileged South Africans, it’s equally important to focus on efforts in place aimed at bridging the educational gap in our country where some organisations take it upon themselves to offer opportunities for growth and development to ensure a positive future.
As a company with empowerment at its core, Exxaro’s purpose, values and investing in the development towards our youth population with the aim of becoming future leaders for. In 2019, the company invested a total of R224 million in job-related, bursaries and scholarships.
“We want to make a positive impact on the country through the work we do. We are more than just a coal producer; we are a skills producer. By allowing people to take part in training and education programmes, we are investing in a more skilled population.” said Vanisha Balgobind, Executive Head of Human Resources at Exxaro.
Some of the more prominent organisations like the Department of Education and the National Planning Commission (NPC) have put plans in place, for example, that will ensure a reduction in inequality and poverty by giving people the ability to take charge of their destiny and build on their skills capabilities – something the NPC hopes to achieve by 2030.
Exxaro has based their business model on bettering lives in Africa and beyond by providing opportunities to those who need it the most. The future of Africa is dependent on our youth, which is why their bursary programme is so important.
To further support this statement an Exxaro bursary recipient, Phindile Mkhwebane recently reached out to Exxaro’s CEO to express her appreciation for their assistance in building a better future for not only herself but her family and community as well. Her tuition, accommodation and all the other university-related expenses she had were covered and later, received the opportunity to join the Exxaro family.
Phindile said, “Exxaro is changing lives and I am an example of a young person who can assist the young people in my family and community to have better schooling. Through my interaction with Exxaro at the early stage to now, I have moved from having self-limiting thoughts captured by my then reality, to knowing that the world is my oyster. I now have a growth mind-set that is never satisfied, and I could not have been better positioned to fuel this.”
“I commend Exxaro. The culture that the company has bears evidence that the programs they run are not just for conformance with governing laws. Their continued interest in the development of individuals post the bursary program is to be applauded. Exxaro does not feel like a company, but more like a living being with real values, interest in its workforce and a real contribution to the lives of the people who engage with it,” Phindile expressed.
Investment in our youth is key to ensuring a future of equal possibilities in South Africa. We need to investigate ways to bridge the gap between communities by utilising available resources that can sustain the growth and development of our country.