No other investment yields as great a return as the investment in education. An educated workforce is the foundation of every community and the future of every economy..
– Brad Henry
No other investment yields as great a return as the investment in education. An educated workforce is the foundation of every community and the future of every economy..
– Brad Henry
Skills Development
South Africa is full of opportunities for skilled people, so long as the skills developed match industry needs. That’s why we have chosen skills development training as a focus area. We offer accessible, affordable and relevant skills training and match practical training with placements in industry to help people succeed.
Skills Development Training At A Glance
South Africa is full of opportunities for skilled people, so long as the skills developed match industry needs. That’s why The Palabora Foundation has chosen skills development training as a focus area. We offer accessible, affordable and relevant skills training and match practical training with placements in industry to help people succeed. Working with out of school youth and other community members, we are training people in:
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kills development training provides short job-related skills training courses to out of school youth and other community members in Community House Building (Construction Masonry, Construction Carpentry), Food Preparation and Cooking and Adult Education and Training (AET). This allows trainees to seek employment in the formal and informal sector, or to start their own businesses or further their studies with Further Education and Training institutions (FET’s). This is in line with the provincial and national imperative of improving the skills competencies of people in municipalities and communities across the country.
Trainees registering for the courses pay a nominal fee for six months of training and the Foundation subsidizes the rest. This means that similar skills development courses at other institutions in the area can cost more than three times what the Foundation charges. As a result, these programmes are the most accessible and affordable option in the area. Short courses are also offered in Food Preparation and Cooking, Construction Masonry and Construction Carpentry.
Learners receive both theory and practical training. They learn at their own pace and they are only assessed when they feel ready. Once they have completed all the modules in their syllabus, they are subjected to a summative assessment which determines if a learner is competent or not yet competent in all the unit standards or a specific module or unit standard.
Initially, Adult Education and Training was offered to the Palabora Foundation employees only. The high demand by the community to be registered for AET created an opportunity for the Palabora Foundation to consider partnering with Palabora Mining company (PMC) thus expanding benefit to the broader community.
Impact of programmes on local communities
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At a national level, the Skills Development Act of 1998 aims to develop the skills level of all the South African workforce and also improve the quality of life of workers and prospective workers. The Act spells clearly how training should be conducted, making sure that there is synergy between government departments and the private sector in that training is offered in accordance with the prescripts of the Act.
Phalaborwa has a 37.4% of people being unemployed. The skills we provide to our youth and un-employed adults do not only make the market- able to the industries, they also provide an opportunity for the unemployed people to become self-employers while at the same time they can employ others.
We accept people into our courses, which are run on site, without looking at education level as a gate keeper. We are especially proud of the fact that our trainees are people who would otherwise not have been able to study as they would not have met the entrance requirements for local Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
By having this opportunity to learn as adults, learners not only gain valuable skills, they develop a sense of belonging to the society. Some learn how to read and write, empowering them- selves and boosting their confidence. Some are even able to further their studies with higher learning institutions.
Although our focus is on communities within a 50 kilometre radius of Phalaborwa, our work benefits people all over South Africa as people develop and grow their businesses and seek opportunities where they can find them.
Masonry And Carpentry
Community House Building is a programme accredited by the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA). It is made of unit standards (modules) from Construction Masonry and Construction Carpentry. It is a programme offered at NQF Level 2 and 3 (this means that some unit standards are offered at NQF Level 2 while others are offered at NQF Level 3).
This programme is able to accommodate 90 learners per annum.
Learners are registered as per their ability to read and write. The main criterion that plays an important role is the interest, passion and positive attitude of the learner. These traits are evaluated during a one –on-one interview with the learner.
Once the above checks are positive, learners are registered for the course.Learners registered for the course receive full Personal Protective Equipment staring from overalls and protective shoes. They also receive refreshments in the form of tea daily and formal training in the form of theory and practical. Their training is currently subsidized by the Foundation.
Learners receive both formative assessment – as they train and Summative assessment at the end of the course assessing the knowledge and skill for all the unit standards trained on.
Acquired Skills And Accreditations
- Bricklaying
- Plastering
- Painting
- Tiling
- Roofing
- Ceiling
- Reading and interpreting the house plans
Learners receive a National certificate in Community House Building.
Learners apply for jobs like any other qualified learners. The only thing that gives our learners an edge over other learners is the quality of training and the skill they possess.
Food Preparation And Cooking
This programme’s initial intention was just during training and summative assessment to o er basic cooking skills to interested which takes place at the end of training community members, but it’s grown and assessing all the unit standards. developed, especially over the last year.
In line with the Skills Development Act of Like in the other programmes, all the 1998, the programme has followed the prescribed prescribed modules have to be completed syllabus and is currently operating as a satellite centre of Selati Hospitality Training Academy offering accredited by International body known as City and Guilds.
The programme supports 80 students per annum.
Learners with minimum grade 10 are selected on a first come first serve basis until the required number of learners is reached. Registered learners receive formal training in the form of theory and practical. Their fees are subsidized by Phalaborwa Foundation.
Acquired Skills And Accreditations
Learners receive cooking and waitressing skills as the key skills. Like in the other programmes, learners receive both summative assessment, which happens before the learner can be assessed finally to determine whether he/she is Competent or Not Yet Competent.
Upon successful completion of the course learners receive an international Chef certificate endorsed by City and Guilds
Normally when learners are about to complete the course, we receive requests from the accommodation establishments and hotels indicating the number and types of jobs open to be filled and available learners are sent to those places for interviews and placement in positions.
Adult Education And Training
TPalabora Foundation has partnered with Palabora Mining Company to offer Adult Education and Training to the local communities. This is in line with our commitment to provide basic educational literacy to its employees, while allowing the mine to fullfil its compliance requirements with the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA), by providing basic educational literacy to the local labour sending communities. The learners are registered with the Independent Examination Board for their examinations (IEB).
It is specially geared towards Adult Learners who cannot be accepted by normal schools because of their age. It gives these prospective learners the opportunity to acquire proficiency in fundamental subjects such as Mathematics and English, and ultimately obtain grade 12. Registered learners are allowed to learn at own pace. Unlike at the normal school, learners are only assessed when they are ready.
Learners register free of charge. This programme is in high demand by the community. We apply first come, first served criteria. They receive free learning materials in the form of books. Their training is computer-based and learners have the opportunity to practice basic computer skills while learning their subjects.
Acquired Skills And Accreditations
Learners receive internal assessment in the form of tests to determine their readiness for the external examination. Learners write National examination for each subject registered, conducted by the Independent Examination Board (IEB).
For the learner to be allowed to sit for the external examination, the learner must have completed all the tasks in the subject registered and must have obtained at least 60% in the tests conducted internally by the facilitator.
Learners receive IEB certificate for each subject passed. Upon completion of minimum five subjects, learners have the opportunity to combine all the subjects as per IEB requirements and obtain a qualification (Grade 12 certificate).
Who We Work With
PALABORA MINING COMPANY (PMC) is a strategic partner. Through their support, we offer Adult Education and Training to the local communities. This is in line with the Palabora Foundation’s mandate to provide basic educational literacy to it’s employees, while allowing the mine to meet it’s compliance requirements with the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA). Under this, they are obligated to provide basic educational literacy to the local labour sending communities. The learners are registered with the Independent Examination Board for their examinations (IEB).
OTHER EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS include the suppliers of services and goods, government departments such as Sector Education Training Authorities (SETA’s), parents, Traditional Offices and partners, e.g. PMC and other training partners.
Giving people practical skills aligned to job needs is an effective way to help change lives. It makes me happy to see people who would under normal circumstances be nothing, being able to sustain themselves through good jobs.
Phillip Mutshena | Learner Support
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25
Masonry
0
53
Carpentry
0
50
Hospitality
0
62
Sewing
People Trained 2016