New career horizons in healthcare are opening up to Northern Cape learners thanks to an outreach visit by healthcare professionals from the School of Nursing Sciences on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus.
A team from Nursing Sciences visited Tlhwahalang Secondary School in Jan Kempdorp in the Northern Cape on 16 April 2025 to offer career guidance to Grade 11 and 12 learners and assist them with university applications.
The initiative is part of the NWU’s community engagement strategy to improve access to higher education in rural areas. The Northern Cape is one of the regions in South Africa where socioeconomic factors limit access to higher education for many learners.
Kagiso Racoco, a clinical preceptor at the School of Nursing Sciences, says the project took shape through a conversation with the school’s department head, Mr BI Seilane. “We discussed the importance of exposing learners to career options early and giving them the tools to apply. This outreach was the result of that collaboration,” says Kagiso.
The outreach included career presentations on available programmes at the NWU and pathways to entry. The team brought laptops and internet access to support learners in creating email accounts, registering on the NWU portal and completing online applications.
“We sat with them, explained the process, and helped them submit their applications,” Kagiso says. “We wanted to make sure they left with something tangible.”
During question-and-answer sessions, learners asked about funding, campus life and specific academic programmes. According to Kagiso, the objective was not only to inform them, but to provide practical support to complete the application steps.
“We see this as part of our responsibility as health professionals. Bridging the gap between high school and higher education must be part of our engagement with communities,” he says.
Plans are under way to return to the school later in the year to address reproductive health and education, and Kagiso says similar projects are being considered for other schools in the province.
“This was only the beginning. We intend to expand the initiative and reach more learners.”
