The Thuthuka programme, run by the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants for the past eight years, is succeeding in its aim of training more black chartered accountants (CAs).
Programme head Chantyl Mulder said all its graduates were employed.
“It is a critical element to get the previously disadvantaged into the profession. You need a comprehensive strategy, it can’t be piecemeal. It needs ownership and accountability,” Mulder said, adding that it had a special focus on rural schools.
Thuthuka starts from Grade 8, by making sure pupils choose the right subjects, such as mathematics and science.
From Grade 11 to 12, the programme introduces career awareness and pupils are shown role models in the profession.
At university level, it becomes a public-private partnership in which the student gets a full bursary, with half from the government and half from the private sector.
The bursary covers pocket money, books, accommodation, extra tutorials and life skills. – Wiseman Khuzwayo
Article by Business Report