Fix scholarship is an educational learning opportunity aimed at building the confidence and self-esteem of young females coupled with the equipment of entrepreneurial and business skills. By partnering with GIBS and SDC, Fikile offers a scholarship and a learnership to advance and optimize the future of young females. The programmes respectively provide skills and knowledge that will help students succeed in their personal entrepreneurial endeavours as well providing skills for entry level positions in corporate.
Social enterprises fulfil a social and business purpose by providing income generation through an enterprise that focuses on solving social problems or effecting social change. However, social enterprises face the same challenges as any start-up in South Africa, where 70% to 80% of small businesses fail in the first five years. Among other challenges, these businesses fail due to lack of adequate knowledge and skill about business and the running of an enterprise. The programmes offered by FS aim to fill this gap and thus equip entrepreneurs with skills that will help them build their enterprises.
By partnering with GIBS, Fikile offers scholarships for the Social Entrepreneurship Programme and affiliated programmes to help set up aspiring social entrepreneurs for success. The programme focuses on “technical, creative, strategic and management skills, as well as strategic networks to address various social and economic challenges, while ensuring financial stability.” Active mentorship is provided as part of the scholarship to ensure that beneficiaries are upskilled and value is added to their companies and the projects they are working on. As well as access to business experts and advisors, recipients receive support in accessing capital and funding for their new businesses
In partnership with SDC, Fikile is further able to offer a learnership which focuses on life and business coaching. The learnership is a structured programme which focuses on theoretical and practical workplace learning. With a learnership an individual not only gains the necessary knowledge, but also gains practical skills that improve productivity, profitability and overall job satisfaction. With the guidance of of Sonja Shear, an executive businesscoach and leadership specialist, as well the best skills development organizations in the industry, future entrepreneurs are set to be a success in growing their own enterprises and other business endeavours.
