Why go to a University/College?

Wondering why you should go to a University (Prestige Academy)?

Here are the Top Five Reasons according to us and applytouni.com:

1. Better Job Opportunities:  Having a degree won’t mean that getting a job is an easy ride but it will open up more options to you.

2. Following Your Dreams: If you’ve always wanted to follow a vocation, such as being a Marketer, Designer, Tour Guide, or Make-Up Artist you’ll need a Degree/Diploma/Certificate and you’ll often find that these career paths are only open to graduates. 

3. Eventually you'll earn more money: It is true that people with a Tertiary Education sometimes earn more money than those who don't. 

4. You'll be training you mind: Studying for a degree teaches you to be an independent thinker, improves your analysis skills, and challenges the way you think about many aspects of life.

5. Independence: University offers a way of making the transition between the cosy world of home and the “Real World” easier. You’ll be treated as an independent adult but there’ll be the support there if you need it.

*Resources: (http://www.applytouni.com/articles/why-go-to-university-in-2015.aspx)

A fresh start..

It's almost that time of the year again - that 'new year, new me' mantra we all start at the beginning of the year. 

The festive season is on it's way and most of us are feeling tired - not really in the mood to 'start again'. 

But why wait? A fresh start is something most of us need. Out with the old - in with the new. 

A new you!

But why is it so difficult? Especially for those of us who have to make choices on what to do and where to go next year? 

It is never easy to choose a path. YOU have to decide: Are you going forward or are you moving backwards? 

Here's your intervention! Let go of the past, the old, the tired you and start living life as if each day is your last. A bit of a cliché perhaps, but it holds some truth. 

With 2016 on it's way there is new hope. Choose to give your all today. 

One day at a time

One choice at a time

One action at a time

Choose a future, a path worth taking, a life worth living.. choices are never meant to be easy. But whatever you choose and however you feel today (tired, lack of motivation..OH! Holidays please come!) you can always look ahead and say 'I choose to better my life'. Make the end of 2015 count, don't wait for next year. 

As a reminder on how to create a better future, we leave you with this quote: 

Ready to secure your future?

Education is key..

Unlock the door to your future. Studying is so important!
The thing is - does it still matter in the South African Economy? 

Let's look at some stats.. 

The amount of money received as tuition fees by South Africa’s 23 higher education institutions rose by 9,2%, from R16 billion in 2012 to R17 billion in 2013 and even more in the years after. WHY ..you may ask?

People are seeing the value in studying further. In today's economy it is worth while to have a qualification behind your name! 
We not only offer excellent qualifications, we also offer Work Integrated Learning which involves practical work experience in the industry which you are studying for.

Keep this in mind next time you look at Tertiary Institutions. 

Love, 
Prestige Academy. 

Tell Your Story!

We thought this might inspire you..

"Great stories are about challenge and failure; the rise from imminent defeat to a place where maybe there is a road forward.

Characters that we connect with are not perfect, but they’ve got a hunger to be better which is endearing. We connect with that struggle.

Great brands are like great stories. They are a kaleidoscope of triumphs and defeats, successes and failures; all joined together on a shared journey that resonates with people.

Great brands share their full-unedited story, average brands tend to brush over their shortcomings and just tell you about the highlights.

So if you want to build a great brand you need to be as passionate about sharing the story of your challenges, as you are about your successes."

Source: CherryFlava.

The Punch line

The Punch line...

So we wake up early to go to school, work, or where ever we need to be. 

Its rush, rush, rush - out of bed, getting dressed, and off we go. 

"What is the time, are we late, did I pack my lunch, did I take my bag, did I forget to do homework, and are the kids ready..."

Our minds are full of thoughts, consumed with the 'did's'. 

Did. 

What an amazing verb. 

Leaving us feeling confused. 

What if we changed it to "I have"?

I have packed my bags.

I have done my homework.

I have fed the kids.

I have practiced my yoga.

I have followed my dreams!

Who can say this?

This rat race is a constant.

It is the one thing that won't change unless YOU change. 

Being caught up in the constant 'go go go' of life can make you tired. It can drain your energy. 

But if you follow your dreams you are most likely to excel.

Marc Cumon wrote:

http://blogmaverick.com/2012/03/18/dont-follow-your-passion-follow-your-effort/

"Think about all the things you have been passionate about in your life. Think about all those passions that you considered making a career out of or building a company around.  How many were/are there?
 Why did you bounce from one to another ?  Why were you not able to make a career or business out of any of those passions ? 

Or if you have been able to have some success, what was the key to the success.? Was it the passion or the effort you put in to your job or company ?

If you really want to know where your destiny lies, look at what you apply your time to.

Time is the most valuable asset you don’t own. 

You may or may not realize it yet, but how you use or don’t use your time is going to be the best indication of where your future is going to take you.

Let me make this as clear as possible:

1. When you work hard at something you become good at it.

2. When you become good at doing something, you will enjoy it more.

3. When you enjoy doing something, there is a very good chance you will become passionate or more passionate about it.

4. When you are good at something; you have the passionate and you work even harder to excel, then good things will happen.

We completely agree with him! The Punch line is: 

"Don’t follow your passions, follow your effort. It will lead you to your passions and to success, however you define it."

Women's Evening : Prestige Academy 2015

Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love – Mother Teresa

As with any other women’s evening event, Mrs. Sandra Mostert, Director and Mr. Mullins, Programme Coordinator:  Events, placed their heads together to conceptualise a theme of a trip around the world and finally got to Extra-Ordinary women around the world theme.

As this is an annual event for every first year event management student, this event forms part of the curriculum and specifically the subject called Events Practice 1.  Here, students are required to showcase their theoretical knowledge acquired in a practical manner by conceptualizing their own sub-theme within the event theme.

The audience where embraced by renowned motivational speaker, Ms. Elsabe Aldrich and artist Hugo Nieuwoudt who provided entertainment during the course of the evening.

This year, the Event management team incorporated the SRC – Outreach programme – Growing Love with the event, which amounted to a whopping success. The SRC had an opportunity to showcase their outreach activities and concluded the evening with an Auction that raised more than R5000.  

The SRC would like to thank the following sponsors: 

·    ABSA Student Bureau, Eensgezind, Platinum Hair and Beauty, Distell, Colosseum Luxury Hotel, Devmark Property group and M-Kem City

To conclude the event, Mr. Mullins congratulated, the first year event management class for exhibiting successful table displays. Based on a unanimous decision from the judges, in third place – Louise van der Waldt – Hawaiian theme, in second place - Lauren Daniels – with her Japanese theme and in first place – Michael-Cody Dakin with his Mexican theme.

Christmas in July at Prestige Academy

On 31 July 2015, we hosted our first ever Christmas in July at Prestige Academy. So to all of us it felt as if it was cold enough to snow and obviously this influenced the turn-out, everyone that did attend, had a ‘jol’.

Anneke Lategan had this to say: “Ek het, soos altyd, ‘n ‘blast’ gehad!”

With Christmas games, jingles in the background and the fires burning bright, the relaxed but oh-so-festive atmosphere was beautiful.

A special thanks to the hostel attendees, also known as the “loyal attendees,” for their generous support, once again.

A few of our favorite Marketing facts!

Here are a few of our favorite fun marketing facts:

1.      85% of people would rather provide an e-mail for an e-book over a tweet

2.       Blogs are 63% more likely to influence purchase decisions than magazines.

3.       Companies that blog more than 15 times per month get 5 times more traffic.

4.       The average content length for a page that ranks in top 10 position is 2000 words.

5.       If a post is greater than 1,500 words, it receives 68.1% more tweets and 22.6% more facebook likes.

6.       Articles with images get 94% more views.

7.       Using videos on landing pages can increase conversions by 86%

8.       Videos get 267% more links than normal posts.

9.       58% of your audience will stop watching video within the first 90 seconds.

10.   20% of people will read text while 80% of people will watch a video with the same exact content.

11.   Viewers retain 58% of what they see but only 10% of what they read.

12.   Average buyer consults 11 consumer reviews on the path to purchase.

BEWARE OF FAKE COLLEGES AND SCAMS

BEWARE OF FAKE COLLEGES AND SCAMS

Before choosing a fake college or a correspondence cheat, or invest all your parents’ hard-earned money take note of the following warnings issued by SAPS and the Department of Higher Education.

1.       You MUST choose an institution which is registered with the Department of Higher Education, as ALL PRIVATE HIGHER education institutions in South Africa need to be registered with the DHE. ANY CREDIBLE campus must be able to show you a certificate to that effect.

2.       ALL Higher Education Qualifications need to be ACCREDITED by the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). If the qualification is not accredited, they will not appear on the ‘registration’ certificate.

3.       Students should ask for the institution’s SAQA and NQF identity numbers as all qualifications must be registered on the NQF by SAQA (the South African Qualifications Authority)

Further advice on how to spot a fake college or a degree scam:

·         The institution’s address is legit

·         The number works / proper contact information

·         The tuition fees is a flat rate, e.g. not per subject

·         Promises a degree in no time, e.g. 30 days

·         Discounts are available if you enrol for multiple programmes

·         The institution offers a qualification which is not accredited by SA’ Department of Higher Education, but by a different organisation

·         The institution only accepts payments via credit card

·         Be extremely careful if the institution is accredited by another overseas country only or whether the institution is in another country. There is always the idea that a qualification from overseas is “worth” more, or that you can only get work overseas if you have an international qualification.

·         If you can earn your qualification by handing in your CV and not your matric certificate

·          If you failed matric, be careful, as many scam colleges offer you the opportunity to improve your results through them.  Rather enrol at a FET college. 

Degree in Digital Marketing, why bother?

Why is a career in Digital Marketing worth while?

And why study towards your three year Degree at Prestige Academy, Bellville Campus? 

Here's why!

'Optimind' has developed a list of 26 interesting facts about digital marketing, complete with a related infographic.

See the list and infographichere. Some might surprise you, some you may already be aware of. We also have summarized them on this page for you to take in along with a cup of coffee:

Email Marketing

·         The amount of e- mail that is opened on smartphones and tablets has increased by 80% globally in the last 6 months.

·         Average yield for email marketing is $44.25 for every dollar spent.

·         85% of people would rather provide their e-mail for an e-book than a tweet.

Blogs and Content Marketing 

·         Blogs give websites more indexed pages and more indexed links.

·         Blogs are 63% more likely to influence purchasing decisions than newspapers.

·         Companies that blog more than about 15 times per month, get 5 times more traffic.

·         The average length of text on a page that ranks in the top 10 position is 2000 words.

·         If a post is longer than 1,500 words, it gets 68.1% more tweets and 22.6% more Facebook likes on average.

·         Posts with a title length of 10 to 18 words get more links.

·         Articles with photos get 94% more page views.

·         Companies using infographics grow in average of 12%.

·         Companies are experiencing 55% increase in sales leads after increasing the number of pages on your site from 10 to 15.

Video 

·         Using videos on landing pages can increase conversions by up to 86%.

·         Videos get 267% more links than usual posts.

·         58% of your audience will stop watching your video within the first 90 seconds.

·         Video can keep your prospects on your website up to 2 minutes longer on average.

·         20 % of visitors will read the text on a page, while 80 % of them will watch a video with the exact same content.

·         Viewers remember 58% of what they see, but only 10% of what they read.

·         Websites with video are 50 times more likely to rank on Google's first page.

·         A consumer sees a product video is up to 144% more likely to add product to cart.

Online shopping

·         67% of consumers say that the quality of images of a product image is important in the selection and purchase of the same.

·         Consumers who receive e- mail marketing from you spend 83% more when they shop.

·         Consumers who receive e- mail marketing from you order 28% more often than others.

·         Personal email improve CTR by 14% and the conversion rate of 10%.

·         The average consumer reads 11 different reviews along the way to completing the purchase.

·         Average CTR of banner advertising is 2.1%.

Prestige Academy Shavathon 2015

Shavathon

4 February 2015

Students participated in the CANSA Shavathon  by shaving their hair.  This was in support of one of South Africa’s best-loved events for a very worthy cause, namely showing solidarity with those affected by cancer.  We as Prestige Academy and the SRC were immensely proud of all  fellow Prestige students for their participation in the Shavathon event.

Prestige Academy Valentine's Day 2015

Valentine’s Day

14 February 2015

Valentine's Day – the day of romance when people show feelings of love, affection and friendship. It is celebrated in many ways worldwide but definitely in a very significant way at Prestige Academy.    Our SRC decorated the Academy with special decorations to emphasize the feeling of love and affection.  Chocolates and roses were sold as part of the SRC fund raising project.  A successful event indeed!

2015 Prestige Academy Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony

26 January 2015

The opening ceremony for the 2015 academic year took place on 26^th January, followed by an orientation/induction at the Academy. The main purpose of orientation is to integrate new students successfully into the academic and social culture of Prestige Academy. Orientation is viewed as an ongoing process aimed at developing and promoting the well-being of new students in all aspects of their lives – physical, intellectual, spiritual, social and emotional.

2015 Hostel Induction

HOSTEL INDUCTION

25^TH JANUARY 2015

On Sunday, 25^th of January 2015 the hostel students moved into their new homes, Lots of Joy, Fun and Hope. Crowds of weary individuals slowly made their way through the hostel gates.  Our SRC assisted students to settle in and get acquainted with the facilities and their fellow roommates. Who said residing at the Prestige Academy hostels were going to be boring?  Watch our video and see how much fun hostel life at Prestige Academy can be! (YouTube) 

2015 Potjiekos Competition

POTJIEKOS COMPETITION

25^TH February 2015

Lasagne, fish, beef, chicken and biltong are just a few of the many interesting flavours we had at our annual Potjiekos Competition this year. Everyone had a really good attitude towards the competition and their fellow competitors. Ashwad Slinger, our official DJ, did a really good job in keeping everyone psyched and in a socializing mood.

The winners for the evening were the awesome team “Life’s a beach, so let’s eat”  and the lecturer team was “Superheroes”. “Carnival Freaks” won the prize for the team with the most spirit. Best theme was won by “The Greek Goddesses”.

2015 First Year Camp

First Year Camp

30-31^st January 2015

On Friday, 30^th January 2015, the first year students went on a first-year induction camp. At 11am on Friday morning, students showed up at the Academy, ready to board the buses heading to a location unknown to them. The weekend was filled with great activities i.e. an obstacle course on Friday and an evening show by the talented Larry Soffer  (South Africa’s number one Mentalist).  This was followed with painting of team banners for the Saturday morning activities.  The boeresport captured some great memories with some activities i.e.  3-legged race, dribbling, the blindfolded race, the fireman’s lift, and the potato-sack relay.  Some intense arm-wrestling competitions also took place. On Sunday, the fatigue-ridden first year students boarded their buses and returned home. New friends and life long memories were made.

2015 SRC Easter Egg Drive

Easter Egg Drive

16 Feb – 13 March 2015

The Easter Egg drive started on 16 February and continued until 13 March 2015.  This event took  place under the supervision of the SRC Community Outreach Portfolio. Looking for a chocolate treat is an amazing experience no matter how old you are. The Easter Egg Drive gives us the opportunity to give that simple pleasure to less fortunate children. Everyone deserves to enjoy the holidays and everyone deserves to be thought of.  Charlene Cloete, a Prestige Academy student donated the most Easter Eggs and thus won a prize for her generous contribution. Nicole Rossouw found the most Easter Eggs during our annual Easter Egg hunt.

Mexican Fiesta Social Karaoke Event

Mexican Fiesta Social Karaoke Event

23 May

The SRC hosted a Mexican Fiesta Social Event at Gringos in Bellville. Many social events are held throughout the year to create a positive atmosphere and allow students to “let off some steam”.  This is specifically aimed to release some of the tension for the upcoming test and exams.  All students enjoyed the karaoke, the beer funnel competition and some dancing. 

Wine Tasting

WINE TASTING

MAY 2015

Prestige Academy in collaboration with the Cape Wine Academy hosted a Tertiary Preliminary Wine Course during May 2015.  The course equips   students with the knowledge of wine service, pairing and other experiences. This course is not compulsory for the Event Management students, but will definitely provide students with an edge over another student who does not have such a certificate.  The next course is anticipated for August 2015.