ITC learnership students graduate
The department of education in collaboration with Africa Learn recently celebrated the graduation of 47 students who took part in an information and communication technology (ICT) learnership for unemployed youths in the Chris Hani district.
The graduation took place at the Gali Thembani Centre on Monday and consisted of 19 students from Cacadu and 28 from Komani.
Facilitator of end-user computing skills programme Buhle Jam-Jam said Africa Learn was a service provider commissioned by the Education Training Development Practices (ETDP) Seta who funded the programme to facilitate and teach ICT.
“We train and empower unemployed youth on software development, system support, technical programming and end-user computing. The programme was divided into two: six months theory and six months practical and the students received a stipend.”
Noluvuyo Socutshana of the ETDP Seta said the certificates carried 136 points credits which would allow students to access institutions of higher learning or employment.
The chief education specialist from the education department, Buzani Kwepile, said the graduates were afforded an opportunity they needed to take advantage of.
“You were all unemployed with nothing to do before this programme, but here you are today with your future ahead of you. You need to set goals and ensure you pursue them with the means to achieve. You each need to ask yourselves: ‘Where to from here?’ ”
Graduate Nqobile Mvula spoke on behalf of the students and thanked ETDP Seta, the department of education and Africa Learn for the opportunity to be part of the learnership.
“We know this programme will turn our lives around.”