Skills Academy

 

Skills Academy a distance learning college and is the brainchild of CEO Jan Badenhorst. Jan Badenhorst began his journey with distance learning in 1992 at INTEC.

 

In 2007, Jan Badenhorst left INTEC and started College SA. At College SA Jan was attempting to resolve the issues he felt he was unable to at INTEC. In 2009 Jan founded Skills Academy, a college that he wanted to incubate inside the larger college.

 

Today, Skills Academy services over 5,000 students a year. Skills Academy prides itself on service excellence. Skills Academy also strongly believes everyone has the right to study.

 

Its fees, payment structures and services are all aimed at assisting more students to access further education.

 

 

What is Skills Academy all About?

At Skills Academy, they believe that everyone should be able to study further, regardless of their background or education level. School has never been a “one size fits all” solution. As a result, many South Africans have been unable to gain access to tertiary education.

 

Skills Academy look to do everything in our power to change that reality, and give as many people as they can the education they deserve.

 

Why is Distance Learning a Good Choice?

Distance Learning is a wonderful choice for people who are already working or cannot get to a place to study because of distance or other responsibilities. Using Distance Learning lets you study from the comfort of your own home or wherever you are. You can study from anywhere in the world meaning that you can even study while you are travelling. 

Apart from being a cheaper option to traditional study methods, it also offers you more freedom. This is because of the high amount of freedom it gives you. You get to study in your own time, scheduling your study sessions when it suits you. It also lets you choose where to study.

 

While it is generally a good idea to have a specific place to study, you can decide to change it up and study in the garden, a coffee shop, or anywhere else you can think of. 

 

 

What Makes Skills Academy Different From Other Distance Learning Colleges?

Skills Academy has made many changes to how Distance Learning colleges function. From how their students can pay their fees to the services they offer.

 

These services help Skills Academy to not only stand apart from other distance learning colleges. It also lets Skills Academy give their students the best chance at not only studying but also successfully completing their studies. 

 

Monthly Payments

Unlike other colleges which make you pay the full price for your studies as soon as you register, at Skills Academy, you pay your fees monthly. This means that it is not as expensive to start studying and you can study more easily. 

 

Finish Faster and Pay Less

Another advantage of paying your studies monthly is that we let you finish faster. To put it simply, if you work harder, you can finish your studies in less time than is listed for the course.

 

If you finish faster, you don’t pay any further. So if you finish a 12-month course in eight months, you will only pay for eight months. You can save up to 50% through this innovation.

 

Take a Break

To make this even better, Skills Academy also gives you the option to put your studies on pause for as long as two months. If you know that you will not be able to study for a while, you can ask to pause your studies. For the time you are on pause you don’t need to pay. This means that you don’t pay when you can’t study. 

 

No Credit Check

While many colleges do credit checks and blacklist you when you miss a payment, Skills Academy won’t do that to their students. That’s right – No Credit Check, No Blacklisting.

 

They won’t blacklist you if you miss a payment, and no credit checks are made before you apply. Why? Because everyone deserves a fair chance to further their education. 

 

 

EasyPay

For some people, the biggest issue might not be the finances they need, but the ability to make payments. Not everyone in South Africa has a bank account or a credit card.

 

This is why Skills Academy makes use of the EasyPay system. The EasyPay system means you can pay your fees online or at selected shops across the country. The stores you can pay at include:

 

• Pick ‘n Pay Supermarkets, 
• Pick ‘n Pay Hypermarkets, 
• Pick ‘n Pay Family Stores and selected Mini Markets nationwide,
• Shoprite, 
• Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores,
• Lewis Stores, 
• Lifestyle Living, and
• Best Electric.

If you live in the Western Cape you can also pay your fees at:

 

• Foodworld stores,
• Saveworld stores,
• Elite Cash ‘n Carry stores,
• Selected Score stores,
• Selected Boxer Superstores
• Selected Spar outlets

If you live in or around Bellville in the Western Cape you can also pay your fees at the 24-hour M-KEM in Durban Road.

 

Student Resources

Skills Academy also offers students access to various other resources too. The first of these resources is access to the Together We Pass platform, for free. As part of your course fee you will be given access to all the resources on the Together We Pass website. This includes access to your lecturers, past exam papers, and online study groups. 

You will also be added to a WhatsApp group for your subjects. In this group, like the online study group, you will be able to interact with your fellow students as well as have access to your lecturers. The questions that you ask in the group will be answered. 

 

Skills Academy Courses

Skills Academy has a very wide range of courses on offer. There are accredited courses and provider programmes. They are accredited to offer courses from the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) as well as being accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to offer National Diploma Courses. They also offer many short courses which cover a broad range of topics. 

 

ICB 

Skills Academy offers three different ICB courses. These are:

 

• ICB Financial Accounting Courses
• ICB Office Administration Courses
• ICB Business Management Courses

These courses and qualifications are internationally recognised.

 

 

National Diploma Courses

Skills Academy has recently received permission to offer National Diploma Courses. These courses will give you a recognised qualification in South Africa. There are seven National Diploma courses that Skills Academy offers. The National Diploma courses on offer are:

 

• National N Diploma: Legal Secretary
• National N Diploma: Educare
• National N Diploma: Business Management
• National N Diploma: Financial Management
• National N Diploma: Marketing Management
• National N Diploma: Human Resource Management
• National N Diploma: Management Assistant

Provider Programmes

Skills Academy has also developed its own provider programmes which are designed to give you the best knowledge and skills possible in a short space of time.

 

These courses are usually between four to twelve months long and they can be a great first step or a wonderful refresher course for those who need it. Some of the courses on offer include:

 

• Tourism & Guest House Management;
• Interior Design & Photography;
• Childcare;
• Event Management;
• Beauty Therapy;
• Occupational Health and Safety;
• Office Management;
• Forensics and Policing;
• Secretarial & Receptionist;
• Supply Chain Management;
• Small Business Management; and so much more!

To apply for one of their 200+ courses, visit their Contact Us page and fill in the form for a course expert to get in touch and help you get started with your studies at the college in no time at all.

 

Last Updated: 5 February 2023