SA students spend 52% of monthly earnings on transport: survey

02 September 2015 - 15:48 By RDM News Wire

A survey by Stanley Hutcheson & Associates (SHA)‚ a skills development firm specialising in practical work readiness programmes‚ revealed that the primary challenge facing South African students was transport costs. “Perhaps the most astounding cost was the amount of money that the students spend on transport every month‚” said Stanley Hutcheson‚ founder and MD of SHA.On average‚ students spent about R1‚100 a month on transport which forms a large portion of their income stream.The survey‚ to ascertain the daily challenges facing South African students‚ was conducted in Midrand with the majority of respondents between the ages of 23 and 28. They resided mainly in the Ekurhuleni and City of Johannesburg municipal districts‚ which are some of Gauteng’s most densely populated areas.The study also revealed that nearly all of the students were solely dependent on the minibus taxi transport system as their primary. “The respondents sighted that buses were unreliable or simply not available on the routes that they travelled to get to and from their main training facility.”According to South African legislation‚ the minimum monthly stipend/income paid to a student on a learnership programme varies in accordance to the level specified by the National Qualifications Framework. For a level 5-8 qualification‚ a minimum weekly stipend is set at R700‚ which equates to an average monthly remuneration of R2‚800.Hutcheson said‚ “The survey concluded that on average‚ learners are spending 52% of their monthly earnings on transport alone and while the income from the wage is most welcome‚ potential employers in the public and private sector need to be aware that in some families these learners are the main breadwinners.’He said 14% of the respondents had to support their own families and a further 21% of students had to work part time to meet their financial commitments every month.As South Africa attempted to stare down rising inflation rates because of the weak rand as well as a depressed industrial sector‚ the financial pressures facing learners would increase.“It is critical that the private and public sectors work together to encourage skills development. A stable and capable workforce is a benefit to any economy facing a downturn.“While our larger industries might take longer to recover‚ South Africa has a healthy banking and SME market which offer great employment opportunities‚” Hutcheson said...

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