While South Africa’s matric pass rate is improving, most school leavers don’t have the opportunity to continue studying at higher education institutions.

This doesn’t mean they have no chance of bettering their career prospects, though.

The matric pass rate improved by 3.7% to 80.1% in 2022, according to National Senior Certificate results.

Of the 800,800 registered exam students, 172,000 qualified to study at universities, leaving over 600,000 students wondering whether a matric qualification will be enough to make a living, Statista reported.

Increasingly, there is room for hope in the digital era.

Post-matric education and access to entrepreneurial opportunities are out there, and many are free.

Vast amounts of credible and useful information is available online, as long as you know where to look and what is beneficial.

Aleph, for example, offers free digital marketing platforms providing training in how to develop creative and effective digital communications on all major social media digital advertising platforms.

The business is at the forefront of the digital marketing sector in South Africa, representing major international social media companies X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and Snapchat in the country.

Learners can choose between shorter Digital Ad courses and Digital Ad certificates.

About 3,653 South Africans have registered in the last five months, with 228 gaining certifications thus far.

These courses have also already proven very popular in other African countries, which have been running the same programs for longer.

Nigeria, for example, has registered over 60,000 students to date, 2,222 of whom have gained certification.

AutoTrader offers free access to both K53 learner’s and driver’s licence study materials, covering passenger vehicles through to motorcycles.

These recently surpassed 500,000 downloads in South Africa.

These offerings - and others like them - open the doors to significant potential career opportunities.

For instance, SA’s influencer advertising market is projected to grow by 11.6% over the next four years to a market volume of $37.38-million by 2027.

With just a phone, internet, and knowledge gained from the experts, successful content creators can earn around R18,000 a month while a compelling online CV could lead to digital marketing roles in corporate organisations, Indeed iterates.

A driver’s licence, meanwhile, enables young people to work as drivers in various sectors, including the courier industry, where average earnings are reported at approximately R16,000/month.

This is another major growth industry, particularly post-Covid amidst the local e-commerce boom.

Take, for instance, the opportunities at Fastway Couriers. SA's largest network of independently owned last-mile courier service providers grew by a massive 35.7% year-on-year in 2022.

“Small business ownership in this space is proven and within reach if you manage to save up a bit of money.

“Fastway Couriers offers franchise opportunities including revenue support, low start-up costs, and training,” revealed managing director Daniel Lombard.

Eager matriculants and young entrepreneurs have three franchise opportunities to choose from: Regional Franchise, Courier Franchise or Fastway Agency.

Each of these franchise options comes with its own criteria and investment costs.

This allows individuals to choose one that suits their strengths, skill sets and savings accounts.

So, there you have it. Opportunities abound for intrepid matriculants. And they aren't limited by the lack of a university degree.

IOL Lifestyle