Scholarship students attend workshop at Emperors
To end the day, an alumnus Mike Sibeko, who hails from Leandra, also shared his road to owning his own company since being the first SHCDT bursary recipient in 2001.
Apart from having their tuition and accommodation expenses covered, 13 scholarship recipients of the Peermont Education Trust (PET) and five students pursuing their hospitality management degrees thanks to the Peermont Community Benefit Trust (PCBT) attended a three-day workshop at Emperors Palace.
As part of this programme, which enables them to cope and develop new skills while at university and increase their chances of graduating, the students annually attend a three-day workshop. This year’s group attended their workshop at Emperors Palace recently.
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After being welcomed by the trust manager Thomas Masango on the first morning, the students received a presentation on personal branding by trustee and Peermont Group training and development manager, Malebo Mpepele.Trustee Vusi Zwane discussed various topics with the group ranging from emotional intelligence to employability.
To end the day, an alumnus Mike Sibeko, who hails from Leandra, also shared his road to owning his own company since being the first SHCDT bursary recipient in 2001.
A clinical psychologist, Asanda Madi, started the second morning by speaking to the students on navigating university life.
Madi highighted time and stress management, adjustment challenges, emotional regulation, coping strategies, identifying mental health difficulties and help-seeking behaviour and resources.
Madi dealt with mindfulness journalling and did a reflection session with the students which included subjects like guided reflections on the first six months of 2024, strategic goal setting for the remainder of the academic year and understanding how thoughts impact one’s behaviour and emotions, cognitive distortions and optimising thinking.
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She also spoke about dialectical behavioural therapy activities (understanding emotional patterns and experiences) and did a debriefing on activities and triggers.
PET alumnus John Maseko, executive director of operations at CE Africa, also addressed the students on teamwork, initiative-taking, and dependability skills.
On the final day Masango introduced several multi-drawer challenges for individual and group sessions.
Joining Masango was another PET alumna, Nthabiseng Malaka, who shared her story of becoming the resident scenographer and costume designer at the Centre for The Less Good Idea in Maboneng.
She is one of three emerging designers chosen last year to be part of an international mentorship programme and to travel to the USA and South America to work on a musical celebrating Disney’s 100th birthday.
She also shared her experiences on a trip to Benin (Porto-Novo) and Europe, all thanks to the start she got through receiving the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of bursaries as she calls the scholarship she received from the PET.
Tshepo Mdluli, a PET alumnus, also joined the session. He is currently working for Wood as a civil engineer.
Tshepo spoke to the students about the importance of taking their studies seriously and that they should value the scholarship.
Among the students who benefited from the workshop were Thembisa youngsters, Kwanele Mangqishi, Faith Hartman and Neo Mojapelo.
