Richfield, South Africa’s leading private tertiary institution for IT and Business degrees, has unveiled a refreshed brand positioning: A Learning Experience of a Lifetime, anchored by the tagline Your Future. EnRICHed.
This repositioning reflects Richfield’s evolution from a qualification provider to an experience architect that delivers a holistic journey of learning, which prepares students for both work and life. This shift was informed by research conducted in partnership with global market research leader, Ipsos, to understand what really matters to Richfield’s audiences. The refresh talks to aspects that influence decisions and shape perceptions when selecting a tertiary education institution.
Clea Dias, group marketing director at Richfield, explains that A Learning Experience of a Lifetime is more than a marketing statement; it articulates Richfield’s core belief that education should be transformational, not transactional.
“At Richfield, the learning journey is supported every step of the way with industry-aligned programmes, student guidance, and a strong sense of community both online and on-campus. When students come to Richfield, they’re not just acquiring knowledge; they’re building resilience, discovering their voice, forming networks, and gaining a deeper sense of confidence in their abilities and future,” says Dias.
The positioning is also reflective of the changing dynamics in South Africa’s tertiary education landscape. “Private higher education in South Africa has historically had mixed perceptions, but many now recognise private institutions as offering specialised, career-focused education and a vital alternative to public universities,” she says. “The Department of Higher Education and Training has even promulgated a new policy for the recognition of higher education and institutional types, allowing the classification of private universities for the first time. It’s comforting to know that private higher education institutions are being recognised as integral to the South African education system.”
Richfield’s long-standing commitment to driving workforce readiness and economic participation is evident in its Work Integrated Learning model, which pulls real-world experience through into every programme, giving students the opportunity to apply theory in practice through internships, projects, and workplace assessments. Combined with stacked credentials from global partners such as IBM, AWS, Cisco, Oracle, and CIMA, the model ensures that graduates are 'richer in every way', gaining not only academic qualifications but also practical, industry-relevant skills. “We’re not just saying ‘you’ll get a job’, we’re saying you’ll build a career, launch your own business, navigate setbacks, lead teams, and solve problems that don’t have textbook answers,” says Dias.
Visually and tonally, the refreshed brand reflects boldness, warmth, and belonging. Designed to mirror the Richfield student experience that both contact and distance learning students already enjoy, it’s a celebration of the Richfield community and the diverse students it serves.
Dias concludes: “This rebrand supports what we’ve seen happen in our students year after year: they arrive as one version of themselves and leave transformed – more capable, more confident, more ready. That’s always been the Richfield experience; now it’s the Richfield promise. And we’re holding ourselves accountable to delivering A Learning Experience of a Lifetime to every single student who walks through our doors.”
