We are three young and very diverse entrepreneurs with Accounting and Auditing backgrounds. We recently started a company called ACM (for Aslam, Carina and Marlin) Innovations through which we are running our education related project called LOID.

2. What do we do? 

Our aim is to assist school learners and university students, with the emphasis on school learners, to set learning, academic performance and career goals and to successfully achieve these goals. This will be achieved through a system called LOID.

 The detailed objectives that we will achieve through LOID are as follows:

• Keep learners in school and students in University (i.e. reduce the school and university drop-out rate).

• Create healthy competition among students to enhance performance.

• Communicate the consequences and impact of the various social ills in our society.

• Deter students from participating in potentially harmful behavior.

• Provide comprehensive information regarding various jobs and study opportunities

• Organise and structure academic information to assist them with assessing their performance.

• Provide an electronic resource centre where help can be obtained through various resources

• Motivate students using innovative methods which will stimulate them.

• Provide access to career guidance through content that will encourage students to perform better.

• Help learners to effectively access higher learning.

Many young people drop out of school and end up in jobs that does not give meaning to their lives and they do not contribute meaningfully to society. Some complete school but do not further their education due to financial constraints or they do not appreciate the importance of having a tertiary education. Others complete school and do study further but they end up in jobs that does not fulfil them or meet their financial expectations.

A lot of people end up in one of the above mentioned situations and this can be avoided or significantly minimised if people have the right information at the right time in their lives in order to make the most informed decision about their careers and consequently their future.

LOID will assist learners to obtain a good understanding of careers, to know if it resonates with their individual values and expectations, before pursuing or discarding a certain career. It will also assist them to comprehensively plan their school life and careers thus to ensure they make INFORMED career choices during their school life.

The solution to improve these statistics requires a change of the current learners' mind sets about education. Learners have to become excited about learning and performing better at school and tertiary level and look forward to the careers they pursue. This can be achieved by getting learners to understand that school, with all its resources, is a 'means to a greater end', of a very bright future.

LOID will assist to create the mind-shift that is required of learners to enhance their school performance and to carefully plan and pursue career choices that appeal to them. We believe this tool can be a 'game changer' for our country's education system and the country as a whole.