David Gopane – from Botshabelo, outside Bloemfontein – credits the retail industry with changing his life.
Ater completing Grade 12 in 2009, Gopane took a gap year before further pursuing his education in Financial Management at Motheo TVET College and later Hospitality Management at the Central University of Technology.
“I completed my National Diploma in Hospitality Management in 2017 and proceeded with BTech the following year. While in my third year, I successfully applied for a bursary from the Shoprite Group,” says Gopane.
“Shoprite funded the completion of my BTech after which I started working for the Group as a Trainee Manager. It was through the Trainee Manager programme that I was taught everything I needed to know about retail and that my life was changed forever.”
- David Gopane, Checkers Fresh Foods Managers
After excelling as a Trainee Manager, he was appointed as a Fresh Foods Manager at Checkers Langenhovenpark in June 2022.
Gopane says that he is grateful for the opportunities that Shoprite created for him – from a bursary, to invaluable practical experience and a permanent position with Africa’s largest retailer.
Applications for the Shoprite Group’s all-inclusive bursary programme are now open for the 2023 academic year. The bursaries – which includes tuition, on-campus accommodation and work-back agreements – offer high-performing students an opportunity to further their studies and then go on to work for South Africa’s largest private employer.
Registered university students with a 65% aggregate or higher are encouraged to apply by visiting the bursaries page before 31 August 2022.