Balancing Work, Family, and a Learnership: Three Learners Share Their Experience

I am a mother of three children — 14, 9, and 5. I work as a senior administrator for a logistics company in Durban. When I enrolled in the OC: Generic Management learnership, my youngest had just started Grade R, and I was already managing a household largely by myself because my husband works long-haul truck routes.

What made it possible was structure. I treated my study hours the same way I treat my children's homework time. Every weekday evening from 7pm to 9pm — after supper was done, dishes were put away, the littlest was in bed — that time was mine. Saturdays the contact sessions ran from 8am to 1pm. I was there every week. My mother helped with the children on those mornings. That support was not optional — it was the architecture that held everything together.

The hardest part was the portfolio of evidence. Building evidence of my work performance and linking it to the qualification outcomes took mental energy that I didn't always have at 8pm on a Thursday. But my facilitator, Lerato, was available on WhatsApp to answer questions, and the FPT Academy learner portal made it easier to upload documents when I had a quiet moment during lunchtime at work.

I passed my EISA in February 2026. In April 2026, I was appointed Operations Coordinator — two levels above my previous role. The pay increase was significant. But more than that: I can see a career path now. That matters more than I can easily put into words.

I work in a contact centre, rotating shifts — mornings one week, afternoons the next, and night shifts every third rotation. When I signed up for the learnership, I genuinely didn't know whether I'd be able to make the contact sessions work. My roster changed every week.

FPT Academy's blended delivery model was the reason I could do it. Some sessions were in-person on Saturdays, which gave me predictability I could plan around. Other components were online — recorded sessions, digital resources, and assignment uploads that I could access at 2am if that was when my shift ended and my brain finally had space to think.

The portfolio component was something I actually found natural. I spend my entire working day doing things that are directly assessed by the qualification — call handling, escalation management, quality monitoring, coaching junior agents. The facilitator helped me see that I already had enormous amounts of evidence I'd never thought to document. Once I started recording what I was doing and linking it to the qualification outcomes, the portfolio built itself relatively quickly.

The shift-work grind is genuinely hard. There were weeks when I was operating on five hours of sleep trying to finish an assignment before a submission deadline. My advice: don't miss your deadlines. Late submissions create a backlog that compounds. Stay current, even if the quality of a given piece isn't perfect. Your facilitator will tell you what needs to be fixed.

I'm now a team leader. Two years ago I was the person who needed a team leader. That shift in perspective has been one of the most meaningful things that has happened in my working life.

I am a single parent to two boys, 7 and 4. I work as an administrative assistant in a medical practice in Cape Town. There is no other adult in my home. When I enrolled, the biggest question in my head was not "can I do this academically" — I knew I could handle the content. The question was: who looks after my children when I need to study?

I solved it by building a support network before I enrolled. I asked my neighbour, who is retired, whether she would be willing to have my boys at her home on Saturday mornings for the contact sessions. I offered to pay her a small amount — she refused the money but was pleased to be asked formally. I also enrolled my older son in an after-school programme that gave me one additional free afternoon per week. I planned this before I signed a single form.

The actual studying was something I managed more easily than I expected. I am a determined person. The content was relevant to my daily work — I was learning things on Saturday that I applied on Monday. That immediate relevance kept me motivated in a way that studying abstract theory might not have.

What I want to say to other single parents is this: the logistics are solvable. The childcare problem, the time problem, the money problem — these are all real, but they are not insurmountable if you plan methodically before you start. Don't wait for the perfect time. Build the conditions for success and then begin. The qualification will not wait forever, and neither will your career.

I completed my EISA in January 2026. I have since been promoted to Practice Manager. My boys watched me receive my results. That moment is something I will keep for the rest of my life.