Skillfully | Blog

The power of learning Xhosa in South Africa

Did you know that learning an indigenous language in South Africa can help build trust and unity, and even boost the economy? Tessa Dowling, in an interview with Jonathan Haller on CCFM, shared her insights on the power of multilingualism. In a country where English often...

You’re not “too old” to learn Xhosa

If learning Xhosa has been on your mind for a while, there’s good news: you can start at any age – and you might be surprised by how well you do. It’s true that ageing can bring changes. We may process information more slowly than we...

40 years of passion for Xhosa

Press play above to hear Dr Tessa Dowling, Xhosa course trainer at Skillfully, on CapeTalk with Pippa Hudson. Tessa shares her personal journey with learning Xhosa and how it’s transformed her life. Tessa also reflects on the rise of African language studies, and why it’s never...

Why learning a new language is good for the brain

If you’ve ever thought of learning a new language, here’s a great reason to start: becoming bilingual is one of the best workouts you can give your brain, according to a fascinating BBC News video. Why learning a language is good for the brain Learning a...

How to prepare for the RE5 exam

You’re planning to take the RE5 exam – great! So how will you prepare? Many people invest in a quality RE5 exam prep course, while others try to piece things together from free stuff online. Whatever approach you choose, you should make sure your precious time...

Connecting with isiXhosa

Press play above to hear Dr Tessa Dowling, our Xhosa course trainer at Skillfully, as she speaks with Graeme Raubenheimer on CapeTalk about her journey to fluency in Xhosa, her heart-warming experiences when speaking with others in their home language of Xhosa, and her range of...

How to get your Reps to pass RE5

The RE5 exam is a key milestone for most financial services representatives. For their companies, it’s not only a regulatory requirement but also an important step in building capable, confident teams. If you’re in Compliance, HR or management, you may need to support the supervised reps...

Tessa Dowling on isiXhosa innovations!

Press play on the above image to hear the brilliant Dr Tessa Dowling, our Xhosa course trainer at Skillfully, as she speaks on language, culture, and connection with Ashraf Garda on SAfm this Heritage Day. Tessa describes the power of connecting with our fellow South Africans...

How to book your RE5 exam

Skillfully’s RE5 Anytime Online Course Preparing for the RE5 exam on your own can be tough — which is why Skillfully offers the RE5 Anytime Online course to help you succeed. You’ll get: 18 structured video lessons led by an engaging, outstanding trainer (more than 6.5...

The Power of Learning Xhosa: Confidence, Connection & Career Growth

In a recent SAfm interview, Ashraf Garda chats with Dr Tessa Dowling, Senior Lecturer in African Languages at UCT and Xhosa course trainer at Skillfully. She discusses how speaking Xhosa can boost your confidence, enhance your ability to connect across cultures, and open up unique career...

RE5 Tips & Tricks – Watch This Free Session!

Our Freebie Feb series wrapped up with an insightful RE5 session led by one of our co-founders, Prof Jimmy Winfield. During the session, Jimmy shared valuable insights on how to prepare for the RE5 exam, what it entails, and what it takes to pass. If you...

Gain new Excel Skills with the Excel Masterclass

Our May Giveaway series featured the Excel Masterclass, led by Excel expert and actuary Dan Stillerman. The session explored essential keyboard shortcuts, fundamental Excel skills, and advanced functions—all designed to boost productivity for individuals and teams. Looking to enhance your Excel skills and increase productivity? Excel...

Preparing for CFA with the experts

Our Freebie Feb series kicked off with an insightful session led by Tim Davies, a CFA expert from Financial Training Solutions. In this free one-hour session, Tim shared valuable advice on how to prepare for the CFA exam, covering everything from essential study tips to key...

In a recent CapeTalk interview, Lester Kiewit chats with Dr Tessa Dowling, Senior Lecturer in African Languages at UCT and Xhosa course trainer at Skillfully. They discuss how embracing multilingualism can enrich South African culture and strengthen relationships. They also explore how workplaces can offer opportunities...

Overberg Radio Interview: Learn Xhosa at any age

In this interview, Radio Overberg’s Maryanne de Villiers speaks with Dr Tessa Dowling, who offers Xhosa courses on Skillfully, and is Senior Lecturer in African Languages and Literature at UCT. Dr Dowling shares her journey of learning Xhosa, how it has enriched her life, and her...

Examinable material for RE5

If you are writing the RE5 exam soon, you’ll know that it is essentially a test of how well you know a list of legislation, regulations and other official documents. It’s not realistic to plan to pass the exam simply by reading through this examinable material...

How to get your RE5 certificate

If you’re a Representative appointed by a financial services provider, you’ll need to meet the FAIS “fit and proper” competence requirements. For most Representatives, this includes passing Regulatory Exam 5 (RE5) within two years of appointment. Failure to meet this requirement would prohibit you from working...

Watch: The Five Ingredients of Impactful Meetings

Meetings are an essential part of working life, and it’s crucial for them to have impact. That’s why we wrapped up our Awesome August initiative with “The Five Ingredients of Impactful Meetings” session, presented by Anew. Led by facilitation and leadership expert Clinton du Preez, the...

Boost your team’s performance with Scrum: Watch the session with agile42

The second session of our Awesome August initiative, designed to help individuals acquire new skills, featured a Scrum workshop, “How Scrum helps teams deliver” with agile42. Led by Scrum expert Regina Martins, this session provided insights into the basics of Scrum, including an overview of Scrum...

Catch the replay: Excel Academy’s free Masterclass

At Skillfully, we know that upskilling is crucial for career advancement. That’s why we have offered three Awesome August sessions to help individuals acquire new skills. We started the initiative with the highly sought-after Excel Masterclass. Led by Excel expert and actuary Dan Stillerman, this session...

Want a great career in financial services? Here’s how.

Many young people aspire to a career in financial services, but aren’t sure what it takes to thrive in the field. To help dispel the mystery, Skillfully interviews Paballo Coetzee-Motlhasedi, a human resources professional at Coronation Fund Managers, for insights on how to succeed within the...

Advice: Working ethically with stakeholders

Whatever organisation you’re in, you’ll encounter potential clients, partners or other stakeholders that make you uneasy about the ethics of working with them. Maybe they’re in a harmful industry, or have a questionable record, or represent a dubious government, or for some other reason they lead...

It’s never been easier to learn Xhosa

“Let’s face it, most white people in South Africa can’t speak or understand an African language. The figure for those who do is so low, it’s not even featured in Census data.” Check out this entertaining and insightful article from the Daily Maverick by Dr Tessa...

CapeTalk Interview: Learning Xhosa in a warm, fun way with Dr Tessa Dowling

In this interview, CapeTalk’s Sara-Jayne King speaks with Dr Tessa Dowling, who offers Xhosa courses on Skillfully, and is Senior Lecturer in African Languages and Literature at UCT. Tessa, honoured with UCT’s Distinguished Teacher Award, shares her thoughts on why knowing Xhosa enhances your life, and...

Insider Tips: Mastering CX in Your Organization with enlightencx Executives

Customer-centricity reigns supreme in today’s world. Understanding the intricacies of Customer Experiences (CX) is essential for businesses aiming to thrive. To uncover insights into workplace CX, Skillfully interviews the leaders of CX award-winning company enlightencx, CEO Nathalie Schooling and Director Brendon Bairstow-Klopper. Nathalie and Brendon outline...

Watch the Xhosa-speaking Flea jump around in Muizenberg

“My Xhosa name is Flea.” “Who gave you that name?” In this second episode, you’ll see Tessa chatting with people in Xhosa – and finding them delighted to speak to a fellow South African who has learnt their home language. If you’re interested in Xhosa lessons...

Tessa Dowling: Speaking Xhosa, sparking joy

“The way you click your tongue – it blesses me!” In a world that often feels divided by language and culture, real connections are heartening. In this video, you’ll see Dr Tessa Dowling chatting with people in Xhosa – and finding them thrilled to speak to...

Excel basics and smart shortcuts: Excel Academy’s free Masterclass

In collaboration with Skillfully, Excel Academy recently hosted a free Excel Masterclass, led by Excel expert and actuary Dan Stillerman. Dan’s Excel tutorial covered essential keyboard shortcuts, Excel basics, and functions which can be used by individuals and teams to enhance workplace productivity. Participants also gained...

Tips from a top media trainer, from staying calm to handling crises

In a media interview, the number one obstacle is overcoming your nerves and fears about stepping in front of the lens. To shed light on the secrets to mastering media training, Skillfully interviews Ashlea Evans, an international TV reporter, media trainer, and communications expert. Ashlea highlights...

Skillfully co-founder unlocks student success through blended learning

In a recent episode of the Learning Exchange podcast, Skillfully co-founder Prof Jimmy Winfield discussed the transformative impact of the blended learning model he and his team have introduced at the University of Cape Town (UCT). An instructor with over two decades of teaching experience and...

Essential Power BI Skills: Getting Going with Power BI with Fuaad Coovadia

In today’s data-driven world, knowing how to analyse and visualise data is key to success – and Power BI is a powerful tool for doing so. Recently, Skillfully held a free intro session, Getting Going with Power BI, led by Oxford-based South African data expert Fuaad...

Know yourself: Rob Broster’s Introduction to the Enneagram

Rob Broster’s recent free introductory class on the Enneagram offered attendees a glimpse into the transformative power of this ancient personality system. In just one hour, Rob guided attendees through the Enneagram’s “map of nine,” shedding light on how it can enhance personal and career growth,...

Unleash the full potential of data with Power BI

In today’s digital landscape, businesses must use data to its full potential. Power BI’s capabilities in data importing, cleaning, modelling, and interactive data visualisations makes it an indispensable tool for business professionals. In an exclusive interview, Fuaad Coovadia – data scientist, doctoral candidate at Oxford University...

The power of upskilling: Lesegisha Mthiyane’s journey

At Skillfully, we’re passionate about empowering individuals and teams to build their careers. In this video, Lesegisha Mthiyane, Executive Chairman of Finance Hut, shares his inspiring journey of upskilling, driven by his commitment to professional competence and ethical practices. Lesegisha describes how his knowledge of regulatory...

Gain crucial workplace skills – become an Excel champion!

At Skillfully, our passion for Excel and its amazing capacities mean that we appreciate events like the annual Excel World Championship, where experts from around the world compete to prove their Excel mastery. In this video, we show the pulse-pounding moments that define the competition. Contestants...

She’s gorgeous, I’m gorgeous: laughter, joy and learning in eight weeks of Xhosa lessons

Janis Slingsby writes about her profound, funny and fabulous learning journey on the beginners’ Xhosa course Speak Xhosa in Eight Weeks, offered by UCT’s distinguished teacher Dr Tessa Dowling via Skillfully… I first signed up for Tessa Dowling’s ‘Speak Xhosa in eight weeks’ in July, and...

Mastering finance and accounting: a conversation with Prof Mark Graham

In this engaging and insightful discussion, Skillfully’s Dr Greg Fried had the privilege of hosting Professor Mark Graham, a renowned expert in accounting, finance, and integrated reporting. With a stellar career that includes leadership roles at UCT’s College of Accounting and Graduate School of Business, Professor...

Wanted: Inspiring candidates for the Skillfully High Achiever Award 2024

At Skillfully, we’re committed to the value of upskilling. With the right training, professionals can advance their capacities and careers while helping colleagues, clients and others. That’s why we host the Skillfully High Achiever Award. The award celebrates young professionals in financial services who have upskilled...

Understanding the FAIS fit and proper requirements for financial services professionals

Financial services professionals play a crucial role in the economic landscape of South Africa. To protect consumers by maintaining the high standards of these professionals, the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS) sets out “fit and proper” requirements to ensure that professionals are competent, ethical,...

CFA updated: why, how, and so what?

If you’re interested in the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, the global standard for investment industry knowledge, then you’ll want to know about the recent updates to the CFA curriculum. At Skillfully, where we help firms and professionals find great courses, many of our client firms have...

Meet your learning buddy, ChatGPT: keen, creative, tireless – and not quite trustworthy

This article first appeared on CHRO South Africa. As an HR professional, you may be involved in learning and development. You might also know that ChatGPT, the AI software that will converse with you in an amazingly human way, can be a powerful learning partner. This...

Tips and insights for new managers

Many people aspire to a management role, but the transition to management is often more challenging than anticipated. To shed light on the challenges, Skillfully interviewed Rob Broster, an instructor and coach renowned for his expertise in management training. Rob dives into the complexities of stepping...

A positive mindset drives positive results | Tips for success and happiness

In this interview, Skillfully speaks with the inspiring Verity Price, the first African and sixth woman ever to become the World Public Speaking Champion. Verity, who is also a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, musician and actor, shares her expertise and tips for discovering the keys to happiness...

Expert advice on preparing for your CFA exams

Listen as Greg Fried, co-founder of Skillfully, interviews Tim Davies, a CFA holder and the co-founder of Financial Training Solutions. With their CFA level 1, level 2, and level 3 courses available on Skillfully, Tim and his team have successfully trained over a thousand candidates to...

Even Beyoncé needs help to perform and we could all do with a presentation course

Did you know that Beyoncé gets so nervous when she has to perform that long ago she invented an alter ego, Sasha Fierce, to help? Apparently, Queen Bey first has to become Sasha before she can strut out onto the stage and be the global megastar...

Essential business presentation skills

Listen to Skillfully co-founder Greg Fried and Nikki McNaught of the Business Presentation Group as they discuss what is needed to create and deliver an outstanding business presentation. Nikki’s vast experience has helped many to produce compelling presentations that have yielded greater business success, more sales,...

The art of effective presentations: expert tips and insights

Skillfully co-founder Greg Fried sits down with John French of Communication Guru, communication expert and designer of the Face-to-Face and Virtual Presentation Masterclass. John discusses essential skills for presenters in today’s rapidly changing world and offers valuable tips and advice for making a lasting impression, presenting...

Surprise your colleagues – speak to them in Xhosa!

In this fun skit, Dr Tessa Dowling, course trainer for Speak Xhosa in Eight Weeks, surprises her colleague Thembelihle as she speaks to her fluently in Xhosa. If you’re looking for isiXhosa lessons for beginners and want to learn Xhosa online, these brilliant Xhosa language lessons...

Learning to speak Xhosa through practical online Xhosa lessons

CapeTalk’s John Maytham recently interviewed Dr Tessa Dowling, course trainer for Speak Xhosa in Eight Weeks and Senior Lecturer in African Languages and Literature at UCT. Tessa, who holds UCT’s Distinguished Teacher Award, shared insights on how to learn Xhosa and become conversationally competent. She emphasised...

Speak Xhosa in Eight Weeks

Skillfully co-founder Greg Fried speaks to Dr. Tessa Dowling, Senior Lecturer in African Languages and Literatures at UCT, on practical tips for learning Xhosa, the benefits of knowing some Xhosa, and more. Tessa is an acclaimed Xhosa lecturer with a Distinguished Teacher Award from UCT. We’re...

Handling tough discussions, and other tips for great conversations

How should we handle hard conversations with colleagues, strengthen bonds with clients, and connect with fellow South Africans despite our differences? I asked Michael Walker of Language Boss about all this and more. As an expert in workplace conversations, Michael had strong and practical advice. It...

How to find great courses using Skillfully

Thinking of changing jobs? Maybe there’s a solution to your workplace frustrations that doesn’t require quitting. Nzinga Qunta interviews Greg Fried, co-founder of Skillfully, on the prospects for South African professionals upskilling to enhance their job satisfaction. Greg highlights the importance of directing one’s own upskilling...

Don’t quit – rather upskill yourself

Jimmy Winfield, co-founder of skillfully.co.za, recently spoke with Africa Melane of CapeTalk about the Great Resignation among South African professionals. If you’re looking for career advancement, Jimmy recommends thinking twice before quitting, and rather working with your employer to upskill yourself. As Jimmy explains, it can...

New presentation skills that you need to know

The rise of virtual presenting has changed presenting forever. Your old presentation skills are limited. Here are the new presentation skills trends you need to know. Just when millions of people had mastered presenting and had overcome their public speaking fears, Covid changed presenting forever. The...

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