The Vodacom CEO scholarship award is a first of its kind

Issued by Magna Carta Public Relations for Vodacom
Johannesburg, 23 Jan 2006

Four matriculants from across the country who scored the highest marks in the 2005 Matric exams became the first recipients of the prestigious Vodacom CEO Scholarship Award.

This scholarship entitles these students to register and complete their studies at a South African university of their choice and is renewable on an annual basis.

The students attended a handover function with their parents at Vodacom today, to receive their formal letters of confirmation of this scholarship directly from Vodacom Group CEO, Alan Knott-Craig.

"Vodacom sees the development of the youth of the country as a priority in preparing them to meet the challenges of a highly technical and competitive working environment. We place high value on education in our social investment programmes," says Knott-Craig.

The scholarship is intended to assist in developing a pool of leadership talent and upon completion of their studies the scholarship recipients have no obligations to Vodacom.

"The Vodacom CEO Scholarship Award has been created to attract, recognise and reward the finest achievers in SA, while simultaneously positioning Vodacom as an employer of choice," explains Knott-Craig.

The value of the scholarship, which is a maximum of R100 000 per student per annum, is intended to cover among other costs: registration fees, tuition fees, books, boarding, meals, transport, a medical allowance, a personal computer with a Vodafone Mobile Connect Card, Vodafone live! cellphone, a monthly cash allowance, mentoring by a Vodacom Executive Manager and acquiring a driver`s licence.

The scholarship complements the existing needs-based Vodacom Open Bursary Scheme that Vodacom offers for undergraduate diplomas and degrees. Between 1995 and 2005, 685 students were awarded Vodacom bursaries in the disciplines of electrical engineering, IT and commerce both at university and technikon level. Between 1998 and 2005, 208 trainees were able to complete their experiential (in-service) training at Vodacom, with 34 more expected upon completion of their studies. Now, 126 (mostly graduates) have been permanently employed by the company.

Vodacom

The recipients of the inaugural Vodacom CEO Scholarship Awards are:

1. Jaanri Koch
* Field of study: MBCHB (Medical)
* Duration: Six years
* Institution: University of Stellenbosch
* Jaanri comes from Belville in the WesternCape. She is very impressed with the Vodacom scholarship and looks forward to her long relationship with such a big and successful company.

2. Chantelle Coetzer
* Field of study: B.Comm Accounting
* Duration: Four years
* Institution: University of Pretoria
* Chantelle hails from Waterkloof, Pretoria. She was overwhelmed with Vodacom`s scholarship and can see herself working in the financial department at Vodacom one day. She looks forward to making Vodacom proud during their four-year partnership.

3. Wiehan Jordaan
* Field of study: B.Comm - Acturial Science
* Duration: Four years
* Institution: University of Stellenbosch
* Wiehan comes from Cradock in the Eastern Cape. He will be a resident of Eendrag while studying at the university. He was astonished with the scope of the Vodacom scholarship and he is proud to be associated with Vodacom. He would very much like to work for Vodacom on completion of his studies as Vodacom is an international company that offers security to employees. He believes that with the Vodacom scholarship, "the sky is the limit".

Editorial contacts