Eduvos Reports Over 21,000 Enrolments As It Focuses On Access Practical Experience And Industry Exposure

Dr Siegie Brownlee.

For many young South Africans, the desire to study after school remains strong. The challenge is often access, affordability and confidence that higher education will lead somewhere. This is where higher education has a critical role to play. A qualification should directly open doors to opportunity, confidence, social mobility and work readiness.

At Eduvos, we believe youth empowerment begins with access to quality higher education, but it cannot end there. Students need relevant curricula, strong support systems, exposure to industry, practical experience and the confidence to navigate a changing world of work.

In 2025, more than 21,000 students were enrolled in Eduvos qualifications registered on the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework, with more than 23,000 participating across formal programmes, access and bridging programmes and short courses. Nearly 90% of our students were aged 18 to 24, placing the institution at the centre of South Africa’s youth development agenda.

Our national access model includes 12 campuses, online, hybrid and contact learning, multiple intake opportunities and flexible academic pathways. Higher Certificates, bridging programmes, Recognition of Prior Learning and credit transfer mechanisms all help create more than one route into higher education. This matters because young people don’t all arrive with the same academic, financial or personal circumstances.

Access, however, is only meaningful if students are supported to succeed. Between 2024 and 2025, Eduvos’ institutional pass rate improved from 80.5% to 85.9%, even as participation increased. This reflects the work being done across academic delivery, student support and progression monitoring to help students move through their studies with confidence.

Employability is where the promise of higher education becomes visible. South Africa needs graduates who can think critically, work with technology, communicate effectively, adapt to change and apply knowledge in real workplace contexts. In 2025, 74% of Eduvos graduates transitioned into employment or further study, increasing to 78% among accessible graduates. In a constrained labour market, this is a significant indicator of the value of relevant, future-fit higher education.

Workplace exposure plays a big part here. More than 1,150 Eduvos students completed structured work-integrated learning placements across more than 750 host companies. In Information Technology, project-based learning, capstone assessments and applied development tasks expose students to real industry challenges in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, cloud computing and data analytics.

This focus is particularly important in the digital economy. In 2025, 40.4% of Eduvos students were enrolled in Information Technology programmes, making us a meaningful contributor to South Africa’s digital skills pipeline. These are the capabilities that will shape competitiveness, innovation and youth employment in the years ahead.

Partnerships strengthen this work. Eduvos collaborates with professional and industry bodies, including Saica, SAMA, SABPP and CompTIA, to support relevance, credibility and alignment with professional expectations. Career fairs, employer engagements, industry-linked projects and professional affiliations help connect students to the world beyond the classroom.

But youth empowerment isn’t only academic or professional. Today’s students are navigating financial stress, social pressure, family responsibilities and mental health challenges in a hyperconnected world. Higher education institutions must recognise this reality, which is why at Eduvos, our wellness ecosystem includes counselling, wellness events, webinars, workshops, student-led campaigns, peer support networks, Wellness Ambassadors and the Peer Enrichment Programme.

Through our partnership with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, students also have access to free, confidential mental health support. As for financial access, in 2025, Eduvos supported 891 funded students and secured R63.2m in student funding, nearly doubling the number of funded students from the previous year. Importantly, 84% of funded students were African, showing the role financial support plays in widening access and supporting transformation.

Youth Month reminds us that young people have always been central to South Africa’s future. Our responsibility as educators is to ensure today’s youth are not left with aspiration alone, but with credible pathways to build that future.