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As the name implies, a Dependents of Employee Bursary is offered by companies for the dependents of their permanent staff. Only some companies offer these bursaries. Usually, the company’s Human Resources (HR) department governs the conditions and awarding of these bursaries. The purpose is to allow employees, particularly those who fall into the low- and medium-income brackets, to be able to afford quality education for their dependents. Each company will have its own criteria and bursaries may differ in the extent to which study costs are covered. The funding may therefore be a full or partial bursary.

How does it work?

Career Wise administers a number of these bursary schemes on behalf of the sponsoring companies. Information about qualifying requirements for employees can be obtained from the respective company’s HR department. Dependents should ask their parents to confirm with their HR departments which level of study are covered i.e., some organizations like Murray and Roberts’ Letsema Khanyisa Trust Bursary sponsors studies from as early as primary school whilst others like the Tiger Brands’ Thusani Trust Bursary may only sponsor tertiary level studies. In the case of underage i.e., younger than 18 candidates, the application process for such bursaries will require employees to make application on behalf of their dependents. Once the bursary is awarded either the parent (in the case of school candidates) or the student (in the case of tertiary level candidates) will need to co-ordinate with the Bursary Manager at Career Wise for the processing of allowance payments and purchase of educational material covered in the bursary. Fees are paid directly to the academic institution where the dependent is registered.

Qualifying and applying for the bursary?

The following may be requirements for any employee-related bursary: certified copies of the applicant’s and employees’ ID, school or academic results, proof of acceptance or admission at an accredited South African tertiary institution/school, proof of the program you are accepted for; a letter of motivation; proof of parent/guardian’s employment at the funding company. Additional requirements may be in place e.g., proof of financial need (i.e., a prescribed income bracket or employment level), academic merit (i.e., specific mark criteria), specific tertiary institutions (i.e., only public institutions) etc.

Note: If a bursary recipient is under the age of 18 their parents will need to play an ongoing active role in the administration of the bursary.

Note: Please consider the following about Dependents of Employees bursaries we administer at Career Wise:

  • They are only available to South African citizens and permanent residents, unless stated otherwise.
  • They are intended for study programs at South African public institutions but may also have provisions for study at private tertiary institutions. Please visit the Universities South Africa (USAf) website https://www.usaf.ac.za/ to see full list of 26 public institutions.
  • They are only provided for undergraduate As mentioned, some companies sponsor primary school and high school however this is by exception.
  • The employee will need to provide information to prove that they are still currently employed by the sponsoring company or organization. Please note that Career Wise will verify this with the HR department of the sponsoring company.