CCBSA’s Study Buddy Fund open for applications to study in 2024

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has opened the application process to matriculants and first-time university applicants for its Study Buddy Fund bursary programme for 2024.

 The Study Buddy Fund, now in its fourth year, has assisted over 100 deserving young people from communities where CCBSA has operations, to access tertiary education.

The fund pays for full tuition, accommodation fees and textbooks. 

Nozicelo Ngcobo, CCBSA public affairs, communication & sustainability director, says: “The Study Buddy Fund forms part of our economic inclusion commitments to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds and is focused on enhancing young people’s prospects of finding sustainable employment once they finish studying.”

The SA matric class of 2022 achieved a pass rate of 80.1%, and while many qualified to attend universities, lack of funding was a key inhibitor to aspirations.

The Study Buddy Fund's primary objective is to support academically deserving students to realise their dreams.

Investment in education plays a critical role in improving future educational and employability prospects for youth while ensuring sustainable economic growth for the country, says Ngcobo.

He says SA, like many African countries, has a demographic dividend that can only be exploited if sustainable development solutions are co-created and there’s collaboration among all stakeholders including government, industry and civil society. 

“We are operating in a rapidly changing environment where increasingly, a good education, coupled with the acquisition of relevant and critical skills and a resilient and teachable spirit will set you apart,” says Ngcobo.

“At CCBSA, we believe that companies which grow their businesses the right way and are invested in and support the communities where they operate, help create inclusive and sustainable growth opportunities that will help shape better future outcomes for our young people.” 

Ngcobo says the country’s challenges may be daunting given their magnitude, “but they cannot deter us from envisioning a brighter future for our young people and helping them on their journey to make that future possible”.  

The Study Buddy Fund provides financial and holistic support to indigent students who meet entry requirements for access to higher education institutions. To date, CCBSA has invested more than R8m to the fund.

For the 2024 academic year, the fund will pay for the tuition and accommodation fees of deserving students in communities in which CCBSA has operations, with a particular focus on the following areas but not limited to: Mdantsane, Motherwell, Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, greater Eldorado Park Community Forum (including Freedom Park and Motsoaledi), Thembisa, greater Nigel, Pretoria West Ward 55, Westenburg-Seshego, Alabama and Mangaung.    

The Study Buddy Fund comprises four programme pillars

Host community bursary programme

The bursary programme provides scholarship support to academically strong students from indigent backgrounds who meet entry requirements for access to universities. This financial support covers registration, tuition, accommodation, meal allowances and textbooks.

University partnership

This provides funding to students already at university, but who do not have bursaries and/or National Students Financial Aid Scheme funding and are often regarded as the “missing middle”. CCBSA has invested R3.9m to support 80 students, of whom half were young women.

TVET college support

Targets young people in CCBSA host communities who did not meet university entrance requirements. Instead, the scholarship support focuses on technical skills development, specifically geared towards the CCBSA value chain, including electrical or mechanical engineering, and more than 40 learners have been supported. 

Ligbron

This is e-learning using technology to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science. To date, CCBSA has invested more than R1m to support over 6,000 students.

Study Buddy Fund application requirements

• Must pass grade 12 with bachelor’s admission and an acceptance from a South African university. Residing in one of the host communities will be advantageous; 
• Must be in grade 12 in the recruiting year or applying for first year at university;
• Must not be affiliated with CCBSA or its affiliates; and
• Must have applied to an accredited SA tertiary institution and meet all criteria above.

Applications for the 2024 Study Buddy Fund close on January 31.

Please email studybuddyfund@gradesmatch.co.za for further information.

This article was sponsored by Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa.