Scholarship & Bursary Management Services
Afri Training Institute (ATI) believes the days of “spot funding” a bursary and hoping for the best are over. Our AFRI Scholarship and Bursary Management solution helps organisations move away from box-ticking and toward a strategically managed programme that delivers real return on investment.
We work with you to design a scholarship or bursary programme that aligns with your organisation’s goals – whether you aim to meet a legislated funding requirement, strengthen your B-BBEE skills development score, build a sustainable talent pipeline for your company or industry, contribute meaningfully to your community, or formalise your bursary spend within a broader skills development plan.
Many factors determine a scholarship or bursary management programme’s success, but the selection of the right student matters most. The wrong candidate, chosen without proper screening against your strategic criteria, undermines every rand invested from day one. On the other hand, the right candidate becomes the return your programme was built to deliver.
That’s why ATI manages the full lifecycle on your behalf — from rigorous application screening and candidate selection, through disbursement and beneficiary tracking, to the compliance reporting your scorecard and stakeholders require — so your scholarship or bursary programme runs on a clear “why”, backed by the right “who”.
Our Scholarship & Bursary Management solution provides:
- Administrative efficiencies: Our team streamlines high-volume applications, manages background checks, supports on-boarding and manages the contracting process with beneficiaries.
- Financial control: We ensure accurate, timely disbursements of bursary and scholarship funds, and provide secure tracking to prevent fraud or misallocation.
- Compliance and reporting: Accurate fund audits and reporting ensure your B-BBEE skills development spend is tracked correctly to maximise your score card and tax benefits.
- Student success and absorption: We support your scholarship and bursary beneficiaries through mentorship, accredited training and immersion in day-to-day business environments. We also help your organisation absorb beneficiaries into appropriate roles within your business, maximising your B-BBEE outcomes.
- Talent pipelines: We work with your teams to align scholarship and bursary programmes with your organisation’s skills requirements, making it easier to transition beneficiaries into roles you need to fill.
Our approach
Our approach is hands-on and tailored to your organisation’s unique future skills needs. We identify unemployed young people with the potential to thrive in your organisation and equip them with the industry skills and knowledge they need.
At the same time, our scholarship and bursary management team handles the administrative and compliance burden associated with these programmes. Your team is fully supported as they focus on identifying your future skills requirements and building your talent pipelines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a bursary and a scholarship?
A bursary is usually awarded based on demonstrable financial need, while scholarships are awarded based on merit or talent (such as a sports scholarship) without necessarily taking financial need into account. Companies that offer bursaries may require the beneficiary to work for them for a set time period after they complete their studies, while organisations that offer scholarships usually only require a high level of academic performance for the duration of studies.
Is it really that administratively intensive to manage a scholarship or bursary programme?
With South Africa’s youth unemployment rate for people aged 15 – 24 exceeding 60% in Q2 2026, just managing the volume of applications for scholarship and bursary programmes is already admin-intensive. The rise of AI has made it even easier for young people to apply for opportunities, putting further pressure on fund managers to screen applications and place candidates. In addition, scholarship and bursary beneficiaries often need hands-on support, mentorship and coaching to complete their studies successfully, which can be difficult for individual fund managers or small teams to provide consistently.
Does my company need a scholarship or bursary programme?
Yes. Under the amended B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice, organisations must meet a 6% skills development expenditure target, which is split into two distinct categories: a general internal/external training spend target of 3.5% of leviable payroll, and a dedicated higher education bursary spend target of 2.5% for external or internal Black students. Spend counted under one can’t be double-counted in the other. This means that your organisation cannot count bursaries for Black staff members under both general training spend and higher education bursary spend. If you’re not sure whether your organisation is maximising its skills development expenditure, please reach out to us for a free exploratory consultation.
Can ATI help me design a bursary programme for my business?
Yes! Our bursary management team cand help you identify skills your organisation needs to develop to be future-ready, design a bursary programme that aims to develop young people to fill future roles, identify appropriate courses and develop your approach to attracting the right talent for your programme – either from your internal staff complement or externally, depending on your business needs. Reach out today for a free exploratory consultation.
How can I apply for an ATI scholarship or bursary?
ATI manages scholarship and bursary programmes on behalf of our clients. We do not accept applications for these programmes ourselves. If you are a student or unemployed young person looking for funding to study further, visit Solutions for Africa to learn more about the Solutions for Africa Scholarship Academy.
Who would benefit from Scholarship & Bursary Management Services?
HR managers, administrators and coordinators who handle scholarship and bursary management as part of their larger roles and face capacity constraints.
Scholarship and bursary management team leads in need of administrative support such as application screening, background checks, beneficiary on-boarding and contracting.
Scholarship or bursary managers who need to maximise their skills development spend to improve B-BBEE outcomes or tax incentive applications.
Talent management professionals who design, implement and measure skills development initiatives intended to build talent pipelines that meet the organisation’s future demand.
Organisations that intend to implement a new scholarship or bursary programme or redesign an existing programme.
Why Choose ATI?
With years of experience in scholarship and bursary management, ATI ensures your skills development initiatives are not only impactful but also fully compliant with national standards and B-BBEE requirements. Our track record is proven through our Solutions for Africa Scholarship Academy, where we have identified and developed 110 unemployed young adults towards successful entry into the workplace. We have also supported the inclusion of people with disabilities, equipping them with vital industry skills and knowledge to break down access barriers and contribute to full diversity in the workplace.