Empower your staff with an upgraded pathway to adult matric
20 January 2020
By creationlabs

Johannesburg, 20 January 2020 | South Africa’s most innovative adult matric programme, Matric Works, has undergone a major update, making it a more enhanced offering when it comes to upskilling your staff and earning B-BBEE points.

The Matric Works programme was launched by South Africa’s leading Adult Education and Training (AET) specialists, Media Works, in 2016 and it has seen thousands of learners enroll in the online programme. The programme helps prepare adults to write the Department of Education’s Amended Senior Certificate (ASC) exams.

It is estimated that only a third of adults in South Africa have completed Grade 12, which leaves the large majority of adults in our country without the education necessary to gain employment of their choice, or to pursue higher education.

In a bid to close this gap, the Department of Education’s ASC is targeted at adult, out-of-school learners who are over the age of 21 and who want to complete their matric. Tertiary education institutions, as well as employers, recognise an ASC in the same light as a National Senior Certificate (NSC).

Jackie Carroll, Managing Director of Media Works, says: “Having a matric-level qualification is extremely important in a country where it is widely regarded as the bare minimum level of education for most forms of employment. Through Matric Works, businesses in South Africa have the opportunity to empower employees, boost the skills-level within their organisations, as well as earn B-BEEE points.”

Flexible features

Drawing from best-practice in online learning, the Matric Works programme (which follows a CAPS-aligned curriculum) has been updated to include more home-grown and local content, e-books with an option to buy hard copies, bite-sized sprints of learning to ensure better absorption of content, as well as gamification.

The flexibility of the programme means that learners can start studying via Matric Works whenever they want to in order to prepare for their ASC exams, which take place annually between May and July. Learners need to apply for the ASC exams directly with the Department of Education by November of the year before the exams are taking place.

The Matric Works programme includes a four-month bridging segment that recaps Grade 10 and Grade 11 work. This introductory segment helps refresh learners’ memories so that they can complete their coursework with confidence.

Learners can also choose from two self-paced options. The first option entails online access to study material, online forums, self-marking, a reporting system and the opportunity to write exams in June.

The second option includes all of the first option’s features, but it further provides up to eight tutor-marked assignments per course, one tutor-marked mock exam per course and contact with a tutor via email.

With both options, learners can choose from 13 subjects, which include English, Mathematics, Physical Science and Business Studies.

B-BBEE benefits

Should a company pay for employees to do their adult matric, it can count either as a bursary under what is termed Category A, or as an internship under Category B.

In particular, bursary spend is worth four points on the B-BBEE scorecard – this includes both the spend on the course, as well as any additional payment for books. In the case of an internship, the coursework, cost of books, as well as the salary of the employees for the duration of the course can be counted.

Media Works is part of the Optimi group. Optimi provides innovative and accessible education solutions to schools, tutors, corporates, parents, and learners. It is a complete education solution partner, offering a broad range of products and expert support to suit learners’ education needs.