The belief in education as a mechanism for upliftment in South Africa is the motivation behind the Paarl Media Bursary Trust, a trust that has benefitted 70 promising students over the past six years. Fourteen hopeful and committed young people will benefit from this trust in 2014, among these talented students is 20 year old, second year Industrial Design student Lizanne Burger. “Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is one of the only places in the country that offers my course and it is not cheap,” says Burger.
After applying for a student loan which proved insufficient to meet the financial expenses of the course, Burger turned to corporates like Paarl Media to make her dream of becoming a 3D designer come true. “This will mean that I no longer have to work on weekends and can dedicate my full attention to my course work,” says Burger.
3D design forms an integral part of the 3D printing process, whereby materials are manufactured by an additive rather than through traditional subtractive processes. “Given our position as committed print industry player, we saw this as a fitting investment into the future of the industry,” says Nico Grobbelaar, executive director human resources at Paarl Media.
This year, of the fourteen bursaries awarded by the trust, the majority of recipients were female and in fields of study outside of the print industry. “This trust exists to create opportunities for committed learners with bright futures, not only for those with a bright future in print,” says Grobbelaar.
“Investing in young people is not only an investment into a student’s future but also an investment for the betterment of the whole community in which they live in. The principle of helping people who help others is something ingrained in the ethos of Paarl Media, evident by the work of the Paarl Media Academy, located in Paarl which is focused on harnessing the future leaders of the print industry,” Grobbelaar says.
