DURBAN, 4 December 2023: After a nine-month “pressure cooker”, 11 savvy students graduated from Mr Price Foundation’s JumpStart Professional Retail Programme (PRP) on 29 November 2023.

The PRP Class of 2023 accepted their certificates with dances of joy at Fairway Guest House, Durban North – and are now strong candidates for junior positions in specialised retail areas.

The PRP is often described as a “pressure-cooker”, as students are fully immersed into the retail and manufacturing value chains.

Practical work experience is invaluable when building skills and expertise, and the graduates spend five months in the workplace gaining practical experience and applying their classroom learnings into real life situations.

“This programme has given us access to so many opportunities. To all the mothers out there, I now understand how long nine months is, as that is how long we have been birthing our careers,” said PRP graduate Andile Mkhwanazi.

This is the seventh cohort of students to complete the PRP, which is funded by Mr Price Foundation.

Three students received special recognition at the graduation.

Nhlanhla Hlengwa from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal was top of the class, winning the ‘Cutting-Edge’ award. Mphoentle Molapho from Soweto in Gauteng won ‘Best Fit’ award; and Renaleone Mokakale from Taung in the North West bagged the ‘Hang In There’ award.

Karen Wells, Head of Mr Price Foundation, congratulated the graduates and urged them to continue developing their professional skills. “Celebrate your achievements but don’t stop here. Keep applying the knowledge you have gained and keep building your skills to stay relevant to the industry,” said Wells.

Wells thanked the Foundation’s retail and supplier partners for opening their businesses to host students and impart knowledge.

“As part of their practical experience, students had to complete a Business Improvement Project where they applied their theoretical knowledge into the business environment. Some of their ideas have already been applied to the businesses,” said Wells.

Guest speaker Travis Warwick-Oliver, founder of the non-profit organisation Rejuvenate SA, delivered an inspirational speech.

“If you tackle things head down, you will succeed. Well done on the nine months you endured as nothing in life comes easy,” said Warwick-Oliver, a 30-year-old amputee from Pietermaritzburg.

Mr Price Foundation’s purpose is to unlock tomorrow’s potential, through education and skills development programmes for unemployed youth.