Skills shortages in South Africa
2010-02-25JSE-listed staffing services provider kelly group had been struggling to attract skilled people in the business intelligence and high end information technology fields forcing the company to search internationally. more
South African wine industry
2010-02-09The South African wine industry currently provides direct employment for close on 276 000 people. more
« Back | Home » Ask Lynn. Architecture APS
Dear Gina
Thank you for your question regarding your son’s challenge with Afrikaans. We suggest a multi-pronged approach to finding a workable solution:
We suggest you start by consulting the Umalusi website for information regarding the regulations governing the National Senior Certificate (www.umalusi.org.za). Umalusi is a statutory organization which sets and monitors standards for general and further education and training in
Take 4 Compulsory subjects including:
- 2 South African Languages and achieve at least 40% in the Home Language and at least 30% in the other required language
- Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy – attain at least 30%
- Life Orientation – attain at least 40%
Take 3 elective subjects drawn from the “recognised” subject list and obtain at least 40% in one of the subjects and at least 30% in the other two subjects. The recognised subject list includes subjects such as: Agricultural Management Practices, Agricultural Technology, Agricultural Sciences, Dance Studies, Design, Dramatic Arts, Music, Visual Arts, Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, All the official languages & foreign languages, Engineering Graphics and Design, Electrical Technology, Mechanical Technology, Civil Technology, Geography, History, Religion Studies, Life Sciences (Biology), Physical Sciences, Information Technology, Computer Applications Technology, Consumer Studies (Home Economics), Hospitality Studies (Hotel-keeping), Tourism and Visual Arts.
Applications for Architecture are assessed on the basis of school-leaving results and a portfolio of prescribed creative exercises, therefore we suggest you contact the faculty adviser and find out, based on your son’s current marks and portfolio, what your son needs to achieve in order to be considered. Please also refer to the “Guidelines for admission to UCT in 2010 for holders of a National Senior Certificate,” which may be found on the following web page, for contact details: http://www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/apply/apps/undergrad/uctadmis_guidelines_2010.pdf).
Explore the possibility of your son attending extra Afrikaans lessons in order to improve his results to at least a pass. He may also need to spend more time reading and practicing Afrikaans in order to improve his results. Some times in life we have to do things we don’t really enjoy in order to gain access to what we really want for our future.
As the Admission Point Score for Architecture is 31 points, also consider the possibility of your son attending extra lessons in his other subjects in order to ensure he obtains at least 60% in at least four of his subjects with the remaining subject being at least 50% and Afrikaans being at least 30% together with a pass in Life Orientation. Please note Life Orientation is not included in Admission Point Score calculations.
You son may also consider exploring the entry requirements for a National Diploma in Architectural Technology from a University of Technology, such as the Cape Peninsular University of Technology (www.cput.ac.za). This diploma may be followed by a BTech degree, internship and professional registration.
Consult the SA Council for the Architectural Profession website for full details of the types of professional registration: www.sacapsa.com
We hope this information will help your son find a solution to his language challenge.
