JSE-listed IT group CS Holdings and their black empowerment partner Tshumisano, have taken a major step forward in the projected series of community development projects with Tembisa Adult Education Centre, with the donation of a ten-PC computer centre for SAPICS (South African Production and Inventory Control Society) approved Supply Chain Management courses and related computer training. In terms of the collaboration with Tembisa Adult Education Centre, CS Holdings` education solutions division donated the equipment. The "Education closer to the people" project will be rolled out to other areas like Soweto, Daveton and Vosloorus during 2001.
The centre was opened at a festive launch held on 30 November at Tembisa High School, that was well supported by a wide range of stakeholders, including teachers and current and prospective students. Present were Tembisa Adult Education Centre headmaster Rembuluwani Magosha and senior staff members; CS Holdings education solutions division MD Madelise Grobler; Paul Sehlabelo, Education Department district official for Tembisa, representatives from supporting private sector companies M&G Associates, Toney Moagi, and Bankfin, Silence Molefi; and community VIPs such as Mbengeni Ndou, control prosecutor from the Randburg Magistrates Court and Sello Masela, purchasing officer: Pharmacia and Upjohn.
This collaboration will provide adult learners from Tembisa with the opportunity to obtain valuable qualifications, and will also provide the manufacturing and logistics sector with a source of skills. Magosha says that he had been given a mandate from the Department of Education to seek out partnerships with the private sector, with the primary aim of addressing the ongoing problem of adult illiteracy and unemployment through training in relevant business skills.
"The donation of a PC centre to the Tembisa Adult Education Centre is the first tangible part of this project, " explains Grobler. "We would like to position CS Education Solutions as an education provider that offers all IT training options to all people. We firmly believe that training does not come to an end when an individual earns a qualification. The training cycle is only completed once tangible differences have been made in the workplace."
According to Reuben Badana, MD of Tshumisano and a director of CS Education Solutions, the purpose of the collaboration is to invest in the community by taking education closer to them. While SAPICS has actively provided education in the manufacturing and logistics sectors for more than 30 years, very few PDIs living in areas outside the major cities have had access to such programmes. CS Education Solutions is committed to exposing the broader community to SAPICS programmes. "We will be creating opportunities for those unemployed, for new entrants to the job market as well as for older people, by offering education and skills that are required by the employer. Our programs are not aimed at keeping people busy, but to enable and empower individuals through the acquisition of skills that are in demand by private sector employers.
"We believe that private sector organisations have a role to play in contributing to overall skills development in the communities from which they draw their employees. We are looking at promoting skills development and preparing PDIs for entry into the private sector, as well as providing those who are already employed with the opportunity for advancement in their chosen field."
Training at the new centre will start on 8 January 2001 with Computer Literacy and Keyboard Skills.
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