Johannesburg, 22 Apr 2013
Ninety-nine young people from Harrismith in the Free State have received national certificates in technology as the result of a public-private partnership between Bytes People Solutions, the Office of the Premier of the Free State, the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA), and the Media, Advertising, Information and Communications Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT Seta). The partnership was formed in 2011 to provide entry-level technology training for a group of young people in Harrismith.
The infrastructure, equipment, training costs and monthly allowances for the learners were all sponsored by the partners. The training was run from the old Harrismith Commando building.
The programme was started in October 2011, when 200 unemployed young people from different wards in the Harrismith community were interviewed. Of those, 100 were selected to complete a national qualification, 62 of them female. A total of 69 registered for the National Certificate in End User Computing, an NQF Level 3 qualification which aims to build the knowledge and skills, attitudes and values required to operate confidently in the end-user computing environment, or become computer literate.
The balance of 31 students registered for the National Certificate in Technical Support, an NQF Level 4 qualification, which gives learners the competencies required to provide IT technical support. The students were given the opportunity to train on the job at 11 local businesses in Harrismith, which all had ICT workplace opportunities. During the training period, a total of 10 415 training days were recorded.
"This is a project that must be celebrated because it has served to massively improve these people's lives," says Dr Madelise Grobler, MD of Bytes People Solutions. "It shows what can be achieved when government, the private sector and local communities work together and put in the effort required to train unskilled individuals, all of whom have displayed excellent performance. This is the kind of training that can provide young people with a job. It helps to eradicate unemployment and poverty among the youth, while also ensuring that we develop sorely needed ICT skills in South Africa."
Grobler notes the programme organisers have already embarked on phase two of the programme, and that 31 of the original 69 students who received their certificates in end-user computing have subsequently registered for the National Certificate in Technical Support, which will give them the more advanced NQF Level 4 qualification. More than half of those who completed the technical support certificate have started the systems support certification programme, which will give them an NQF Level 5 qualification.
"It's one thing to award certificates to people who complete the programme, but they also have to be helped to progress to the next level so that they can find quality employment," says Dr Grobler. "Through a combination of real-world training and ongoing education and skills development, we are making sure these young adults are adequately prepared for the demanding ICT environment." Bytes Managed Solutions, another company in the Bytes Technology Group, also contributed by sponsoring part of the training programme and covering the costs of the certification ceremony. "Bytes Managed Solutions continues to view educational objectives as a priority in our CSI programme, which is why we chose to provide support for the learners," says Deidre le Hanie, MD of Bytes Managed Solutions.
"This type of project complements the skills development we conduct in our own organisation, while also giving us the opportunity to help develop ICT capabilities in the more remote areas of the country."
At the certificate presentation ceremony, held in March 2013, Free State Premier Ace Magashule encouraged learners to stand up and do things for themselves as the future was in their hands. "Our young people need to work hard, stay disciplined, be respectful and not disappoint their employers. There is no entitlement, there is only opportunity and it has to be taken."
"We are extremely proud to be part of this successful project," added Benedict Motau, MICT SETA's marketing and communications manager.
The ceremony was also attended by the executive council of theFree Stateprovince, as well as the mayor of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality.
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