Page 12 - CAO Annual Report 2022

CENTRAL APPLICATIONS OFFICE CENTRAL APPLICATIONS OFFICE over the the 2021 2021 entry is is 31 240 (15 24%) The The increase increase in in in the the number of programmes applied for is is is is even more stark The The 2021 2021 increase increase increase is is is is is 155 919 (18 37%) and and the 2022 increase increase increase is is is is is 171 192 (17 04%) This is is is is an an an an an applicant increase increase increase of of 43 34% and and an an an an an applications programme increase increase of of 49 8% over the pre-COVID numbers This was achieved by the visionary foresight in in 2018 and and 2019 when we we upgraded and and and upscaled our application processes with increased web web usability and and and and a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a mobile App Use was was made of webinars to communicate with with parents and and and prospective applicants and and and the telephony system was was upgraded to deal with with telephone enquiries Procedure Manuals were rewritten and and mass staff retraining facilitated to deal with the the new and and different way of managing the the huge increase in applications While all all of of this was happening we we redesigned our website with a a a a a a a a a a a fresher look and feel With all all all of of these new innovations in in in in place we we were obliged to to migrate all all our servers into the the cloud which was achieved by November 2021 With the the the CAS/CACH Project contracts signed on on on 14 December 2020 the the the CAS CAS system was ready to to start receiving applications to to the the the identified pilot universities eight months later in in in September 2021 We could could also run a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a totally revamped Central Applications Clearing House (CACH) for for the the the 2022 academic year and could could train 45 additional CACH CACH CACH Call Centre agents from December for for the the the the the opening of of the the the the the CACH CACH CACH portal with the the the the the the release of of of the the the the the the 2021 NSC Results on 24 January January 2022 From mid-January to the the the the end of of of March we received and processed the the the the applications of of 410 510 applicants for CACH From mid-January to mid-February we received and processed the applications of 19 521 applicants for CAO We have started engaging Nedbank with the objective of establishing a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a partnership to to to to employ employ unemployed graduates as interns to to to to facilitate financial Literacy and and entrepreneurship training and and monitoring to to to to to to high school school learners from Grade Grade 8 to to to to to Grade Grade 12 The idea is to to to to to make these interns available to to KZN schools Some of our staff receiving the Services Services Seta Seta National Certificate: Contact Centre Support NQF L2 Services Services Seta Certificates 10 ANNUAL REPORT 2021/2022 (PART I)