ETHEKWINI Municipality launched a Community Skills Audit last Thursday, whereby it hopes to encourage locals to register onto the municipal skills database which is available at Sizakala Centres and councillors’ offices.
The primary aim of the skills audit is to assist Ethekwini residents in becoming a “qualified and professional workforce,” which would in turn improve business development and employment. The database will hold and identify existing qualifications and skills in the community. It will identify the skills or qualifications of a person and whether the person is in need of further education or training in order to develop their skills.
The collection of the data on the skills audit is only open to residents of Ethekwini. Data collection for the programme will run until the end of October.
Ethekwini Mayor councillor James Nxumalo explained that the program will allow the youth to acquire a new skill, or find employment opportunities if they already have an existing qualification.
Nxumalo added that “skills are the backbone of the economy.”
“This is one of the interventions we are making to connect people with education and training opportunities.This will allow under-utilised human capital to be efficiently utilised, he said, adding that the city was currently exploring skills and educational levels of residents.
More than 4200 questionaires from the community have been collected from eighteen wards in the South Durban basin so far.“The Skills audit will examine existing businesses and identify positions/gaps for developmental purposes,” Nxumalo said.
People with qualifications and sets of skills should visit their ward councillor’s office or Sizakala centre for registration. One can also register online ww.durban.gov.zaskills.
