ACCESS 4 SUCCESS (A4S) PROGRAMME

Introduction

Limited access to quality academic preparation, combined with inadequate career guidance and social support, significantly restricts educational and career opportunities for Grade 12 graduates who struggle to meet the admission requirements for university STEM programmes due to low Mathematics and Physical Science scores.

The Academy for Environmental Leadership’s A4S University Preparation Programme addresses this significant challenge by employing a comprehensive strategy to bridge these gaps.

How it works

Conducted over one year at the Duin in die Weg Campus in the Northern Cape, the programme offers ten hours of weekly tuition in critical subjects such as Mathematics, Physical Science, Engineering Graphics and Design, and additional skills like financial and digital literacy, and leadership development.

The programme collaborates with institutions such as the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and Sol Plaatjie University (SPU) to provide four online career guidance sessions and in-person campus visits, assisting learners in university applications.

Social support, leadership training, and mentoring are integrated into the programme to equip learners with the resilience, confidence, and practical tools needed for academic and personal success.

The results

In 2023, A4S participants achieved average scores of 65.6% in Mathematics and 63.2% in Physical Sciences, reflecting significant increases of 18.3 and 12.8 percentage points, respectively.

Mathematics: 69.4% of learners entered with marks below 50%; by programme completion, all learners scored above 50%, with 87.7% achieving 60% or more and 26.5% obtaining scores of 70% or higher.

Physical Sciences: 51% entered with scores below 50%; all learners surpassed 50%, with 67.3% scoring above 60% and 20.4% achieving 70% or higher.

84.1% of the 2023 cohort secured access to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The collaboration with CPUT and SPU ensured all 49 learners applied for university admission, with further confirmation of acceptance and registration rates expected by February 2024.

Testimonials

Feedback from 47 of 51 learners produced a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 77, indicating high levels of satisfaction and programme effectiveness.

“The teaching is excellent and the material they gave us was also good. They made topics that we struggled a lot with very simple.”

 

“I’m really grateful to have the teachers I had at A4S, they are great. I have learned so much from them, they are patient and about material we had everything we needed they made sure there wasn’t anything we were short of.”

 

“They taught us like we passed grade 11 and we are entering grade12. They don’t just teach for the sake of doing their job but they teach to understand and some of us gain knowledge. To be more specific some of the things they taught us, I was never taught last year.”

 

“The program is very good because most learners can catch up easily even though they are behind. But as always students must also work hard for them to succeed. The important thing they also provide students with well-prepared materials for their studies.”