Johannesburg, 24 Jul 2013
A group of 84 young women drawn from the municipalities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Metsweding were awarded 'National Certificates in IT End User Computing' at a ceremony held at the Germiston Civic Centre in June. This is the result of a public-private partnership between Bytes People Solutions, the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa (PWMSA), the three municipalities and the Media, Advertising, Information and Communications Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT Seta).
The SAQA Level 3 qualification builds learners' knowledge and skills in end-user computing so they can operate computers comfortably.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Health Minister Gwen Ramokgopa, who stressed that young people have to take charge of their own lives and not wait for opportunity to knock at their door. She added it was important for the group of successful learners to set an example for other young women by using their initiative.
"The National Certificates in IT End User Computing is an entry-level qualification that lays the groundwork for entry into the workplace," says Dr Madelise Grobler, MD of Bytes People Solutions. "We elected to take a pyramid approach to learner development because this means they have a solid foundation on which to build additional skills. This learnership may not necessarily guarantee employment, but it certainly equips the learners with skills that are required in any work environment today. It's a vital stepping stone."
The qualification provides a framework for learners to develop skills in end-user computing and introduces theoretical concepts as well as how to apply them in the workplace, and is effectively a starting point for access to further education, lifelong learning and productive employment.
Bytes People Solutions also led a career aspiration session with the participants, assessing each one of them and guiding them as to where their potential lies, in the interest of creating opportunities for sustainable employment for them.
"There was a great amount of talent in the group," says Grobler. We have encouraged them to use the career aspirations outcomes as a guideline for the future. Bytes People Solutions will remain active in the process and will play a coaching and mentoring role where required, and also help the learners with any questions they may have about their career paths."
Grobler says an assessment of the programme revealed that 96% of the participants felt it was either 'beneficial' or 'highly beneficial' for them. At the time of enrolment, only 6% of the women were employed full-time, while by the end of the programme, 90% had either found full-time employment or part-time work accompanied by part-time studies. The assessment also revealed that personality tests had shown that 70% of the learners would perform well as business administrators and managers, financial officers, teachers, sales representatives, computer programmers, systems analysts and engineers.
"The assessment indicates that the right people were chosen to participate in this learnership programme, which is most encouraging," adds Grobler.
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