Heidie Harper – SANRAL’s General Manager of Skills Development
From scholarships and bursaries to community development, training, and support for SMMEs, SANRAL builds much more than physical infrastructure.
Investment in future generations is a national priority as we work to steer South Africa on a path to growth and prosperity. Says SANRAL’s General Manager of Skills Development, Heidi Harper: “To this end, SANRAL plays a pivotal role in prioritising financial support for young people to learn, grow and develop. Through the SANRAL Bursary and Scholarship programme, the Skills Development Unit is currently assisting 250 scholars and 135 tertiary students to follow their dreams.”
Students at Universities, Universities of Technology and Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions can now apply for a SANRAL bursary. SANRAL supports deserving qualifying students in the fields of transportation infrastructure, engineering and its related professions in the built environment, smart technologies, public sector infrastructure development and administration and other professions related to its core business.
For the 2022 academic year, SANRAL is funding tertiary education at 16 institutions of higher learning, increased from nine institutions last year. This includes TVET colleges.
Adds Harper: “Mainstream universities cannot and never will be the answer to every child’s development. If we are to address the realities, needs and challenges of young people with regard to income security and skills development, we need to think outside of the box in terms of where and how young people learn and grow.”
Access the SANRAL scholarship and bursaries application forms online at www.nra.co.za
APPLICATIONS OPEN 1 JUNE AND CLOSE 30 SEPTEMBER
Scholarships are now available to all high school learners who are South African citizens, i.e. from Grade 8 to Grade 12, irrespective of their subject choice. The requirement is for learners to have an overall aggregate of 60%. The scholarship is based on academic merit and financial need, considering the background of learners.
Training and skills development, particularly for youth, also form a key component of many of SANRAL’s community development projects. SANRAL involves communities on its road construction projects with the aim to uplift those who live around its projects, and improve their socio-economic conditions.