Bergzicht accredited to teach frail-care

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29 2016 A STELLENBOSCH NGO has became the fourth accredited frailcare training centre in the Western Cape to equip semi-skilled and unskilled people with the tools to enter the job market.

Bergzicht hosted a health and community awareness programme last week after being accredited by the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWseta).

Bergzicht chief executive, Renske Minnaar, yesterday said: “The day was an absolute success, and the main thing with our service is that we have had incredible growth through our donors, and have kept track of independent surveys, to place qualified students.”

The organisation, not only aims to assist people to practice their skills, but also aims to get them job-ready.

Some of the services offered at the training centre include a self-empowerment course, the iPower Foundation, edu-care, health and frail-care programmes, and the city and guilds professional cooking programme.

These are taught in association with the Private Hotel School, a workplace readiness course before students are placed in employment.

Minnaar said they trained about 600 people a year.

“The big thing is that we are able to grow within the structure of the environment, and we are always there to satisfy the needs of the community”.

Training manager of the centre Monica Lekay, said: “The launch was a success and what was great about it was that there were a lot of representatives in support of the day, which included that of the department of health.

“It made us network and engage positively,” she said.

The Bergzicht offers 15-week theoretical training classes and 10-week practical work in 26 different care institutions in the Western Cape.

Minnaar added: “We have always maintained the highest standards and have used the services of qualified nurses throughout the 13 weeks of the health and frail care training.

“This accreditation allows us to show potential employers that our programme does meet the necessary standards as required to train nursing assistants and frail-care workers,”