Recognising the need for skills development in South Africa, Sanlam and Business Partners’ Entrepreneur of the Year Awards on Thursday celebrated the achievements of private primary schools chain Spark Schools and soft-skills developer Khonology.

Having opened their first school in Ferndale in 2013, Spark Schools owners Stacey Brewer and Ryan Harrison received the 2016 Innovator of the Year Award for providing accessible, high-quality, low-cost education through a blended learning programme that combines traditional classroom teaching and online learning, thereby individualising education for all students.

The number of schools in the Spark Schools network has since grown by 700%, with the number of scholars and staff members increasing by 1 411% and 1 300% respectively. The schools are now also present across several Johannesburg suburbs, including Cresta, Maboneng, Bramley, Midrand and Rynfield, with branches in Stellenbosch and Centurion having opened this year.

Meanwhile, Khonology owner Michael Roberts, who also founded his company in early 2013 in response to the skills shortages in the South African technology landscape, received the 2016 Job Creator of the Year Award.

Khonology is a multifaceted African services company that provides business solutions with a view of empowering Africa through upskilling local talent and creating employment opportunities.

The company trains and converts raw talent into competent and hardworking problem solvers for clients, specialising in delivering projects focused on data intelligence and reporting, trade/transaction applications, reconciliation, customer relationship management, as well as financial and accounting systems.

Khonology has already directly impacted over 120 individuals, with 100 being employed over three years.

Business Partners GM Gugu Mjadu noted that, given the current job market and economic landscape, “now more than ever, South Africa needs to rally behind and support local entrepreneurs”.

“With the country’s high unemployment rate of 26.6%, the country needs to promote entrepreneurship and support its main job creators – local entrepreneurs. Agile by nature, entrepreneurs are eternal optimists and will continue to see opportunity rather than challenges when faced with adversity,” she highlighted.