05 May 2025 | Story: Tayron Mhlongo | Photo: Sifiso Nomzaza.
2 minutes read time.
On 25 April 2025, the Department of Legal Sciences within the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) hosted a transformative STANLIB Financial Workshop for first year students. This initiative underscores the department’s commitment to equipping students with practical skills that support both academic success and personal development, aligning with the university’s mission to produce techno entrepreneurial graduates who can contribute meaningfully to society.
STANLIB, a leading South African asset manager formed through the merger of Standard Bank and Liberty businesses, partnered with PM Skillshouse to deliver the session. Their collaboration demonstrates a shared capacity to provide credible and relevant financial education grounded in real world experience.
The workshop focused on the theme of achieving financial freedom through informed choices. Students were introduced to core economic principles, including budgeting, responsible financial decision making, and long-term financial planning.
Advocate Louisa Japtha, a VUT lecturer, emphasised that “when you are financially literate, you have a foundation for a smart relationship with money.”
Speakers reinforced the importance of financial well-being. Students learned how to balance income and expenses, prioritise needs over wants, and avoid unnecessary debt. Practical strategies were shared on managing money effectively, such as tracking spending, setting savings goals, and understanding the importance of living within one’s means.
Students were encouraged to adopt habits that support long term stability, including saving regularly and making informed investment decisions. The workshop also introduced the basics of investing, illustrating how small, consistent contributions can accumulate over time.
The session underscored that financial literacy is a vital life skill for young adults managing new financial responsibilities. Initiatives such as this also play an essential role in bridging opportunity gaps and empowering students from diverse backgrounds to achieve greater financial inclusion and resilience.
VUT Student Counselling and Support (SCS) also took the opportunity to outline their services, which include career guidance, counselling, psychological education, and a range of supportive interventions that form part of their holistic offering.
By hosting the STANLIB Financial Workshop, departments such as Legal Sciences demonstrate a proactive commitment to student development, ensuring that graduates leave VUT not only academically equipped but also financially prepared. This approach reflects broader trends in higher education, where financial literacy programmes are recognised as critical to student retention, academic success, and overall satisfaction. The university and its partners remain dedicated to sustaining such efforts, fostering a generation of financially empowered individuals who are ready to make informed decisions throughout their lives and careers.
