Empowering the community through skills development
Seventy-five unemployed men and women in Pietermaritzburg were given the skills to improve their chances of getting jobs.
They were among 450 people who applied for a short course in computing at the Midlands Computer Training Centre in Royston Road, Mountain Rise.
With the help of sponsorship from the Amrut Foundation and Kynoch (an agricultural firm), the students were taught how to use Microsoft Word and Excel, shown how to create CVS and learned how to create and use databases.
The names of those who completed the course have also been placed on a database, which the computer centre will be able to share with local businesses looking for employees.
Stanton Govender, from Midlands Computer Training Centre, which is set to get full Further Education and Training (FET) status in July, said his main aim was to develop a culture of learning and to change the mind-set of all the trainees who step through their doors.
Speaking at the ceremony to mark the end of the course on Saturday, he told the students that no achievement in life was too small.
“Every single thing that you do is a stepping stone and is developing a culture of learning,” he added. “That is what we aim to do here at Midlands Computer Training. We want to develop skills. We want to empower the community.
“Every single one of you showed eagerness and a hunger to learn in class. That is what made us so happy and why it was an honour to teach you. When the opportunity was presented to you, you grabbed it with both hands. You attended. You were here.”
Guest speaker, Meshen Moodley, representing the sponsors, the Amrut Foundation, said the organisation was created last year with the aim of providing people with some level of education.
Since opening its doors, they have been able to allocate R750 000 towards bursaries through Wits Business School. Learnerships to the value of R1.2 million were also awarded in the same academic year.
Moodley praised the participants for getting involved in the computer skills programme, adding: “If you have the ability to work on a computer, you can move forward.
“Whether you take an administration job, take a data capturing job, do reception, you will grow. Nothing is limiting you except you. If you put that first foot forward, you can take that next step to the next level.”
All the students were given certificates and a goodie bag from the sponsors.
Among them was Cherzelle Govender, who said: “Being a part of this short skills programme really encouraged me to better myself. I got to learn so much and I got to brush up on a lot of skills.
“It is important for us to push one another and to encourage each another, especially in this day and age in terms of education.”