“Although no-one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end.”
Many school leavers are undecided about their future careers or are not quite ready for tertiary education. At the Hill College we recognize the need for some to bridge the gap between Grade 12 and “life after school”, but most importantly being in the position to make long term career choices. This has resulted the Hill developing the highly successful UFA program for post-matrics drawing on over 50 years of experience is this field.
From over a decade of experience in leading institutions in the tertiary sector, I have far too often encountered learners who match their study choices to their results, instead of matching their results to their study choices. This results in these young students entering into tertiary studies for the sake of study and squandering valuable years of their lives. I strongly believe learners should rather correct their results and subject choice if necessary, and make a more educated career choice with which they can live going forward in their lives. (Rodney Pettitt, Principal – The Hill College).
As places at university become more sought after, an extra year of school study is often invaluable and plays an important role in securing acceptance at university, as well as improving the success rate of first-year students. Our UFA program is not only of academic benefit, but also allows the student to mature socially and to gain confidence in order to meet future challenges. The Post Matric year allows time to plan for tertiary studies, or to select a career from a more informed position with more options available due to the improvement in results. Exposure to Career Expos, Open Days and an opportunity to work shadow should they so wish to arrange it. This ensures that our UFA program students make a more informed decision when applying for tertiary institutions especially those in South Africa.
The Hill College for many years has had a number of students focusing on our post matric program in mathematics and physical science, which is aimed at supporting engineering, medical and science orientated students to acquire the necessary results to assist them in entering tertiary study. In these programs students generally work much harder than they did in their initial school years, as they understand the importance of achieving the required results. We try to give students the kind of experience that will make them more prepared and have a more mature outlook when they reach tertiary studies. This is a full year program, and does not allow for cancellations due to limited seats being available.