The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has announced the two winners of the fifth annual instalment of the ISPA Inspires Educational Sponsorship Programme.
Gcinwayknosi Jula and Crystal Ndlovu have been named as recipients of the South African internet industry representative body’s sponsorship.
ISPA launched the Inspires Bursary programme in 2020 after the 2019 retirement of the organisation’s Teacher Training Programme, which trained more than 3 000 teachers in ICT skills over 19 years.
The initiative focuses on providing study funding to promising young people who wish to achieve their ambitions in the ICT industry. Bursaries are awarded for undergraduate studies in any field of study related to ICT.
Its goal is to enable young candidates to pursue a career in the sector by providing financial support, to assist in covering IT and computer courses relevant to the ISP sector, at recognised TVET or higher education institutions.
The funding programme has helped create industry access points for promising young South African ICT students.
“ISPA remains committed to equipping our next generation of internet leaders, techies, business owners, visionaries and many others with the skills they need to propel the local industry to new heights,” says Aurora Vani, chairperson of ISPA’s social development working group.
Jula was selected from participants in the recent SA National Research Network and Cyber Security Competition, where he stood out among an impressive group of tertiary students, according to ISPA.
He is a first-year student at the University of Cape Town and is completing his BSc (Eng) Electrical and Computer Engineering degree. His passion for engineering and technology stems from a desire to create tools that enhance productivity, inspire creativity and empower people in meaningful ways.
He is involved in the UCT Developer Society and AWS Cloud Club initiatives, to allow him to improve his technical expertise and collaborate with like-minded individuals.
Ndlovu is pursuing her second-year BCom studies in information management at the University of Johannesburg. She was selected out of more than 600 applicants for the ISPA Inspire scholarship.
She attributes her drive and dedication to growing up in a family of five, where she developed resilience and a sense of gratitude. Her aspirations include helping to bridge the gap between technology and business.
The new winners join the ranks of previous years’ high-achieving ISPA Inspires Educational Sponsorship recipients: Thembelihle Mzobe and Mduduzi Shangase (2024); Maile Selala and Ruchelle Coetzee (2023); Tracey Bungu (2022); and Fabian Brijlal and Jordy Kafwe (2021).
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