Community upliftment through skills development
Aimed at rural communities, the skills development programme also serves as a community upliftment programme.
IN a bid to assist school leavers and young adults with developing their skills and becoming successful entrepreneurs, Furniture World Private College extended its country-wide skills initiative to KZN and brought its programme to Khula Village.
Targeting school leavers with both a senior certificate and those without, the programme offers six month courses in clothing design and sewing, construction, cabinet making, Early Childhood Development (ECD) and agriculture.
Included in the course are both theory and practical elements.
Induna Phillip Mkhwanazi was asked to identify local needy families, crèches and schools and the items made and constructed during the practical phase of the course were donated to those identified as needing them the most.
Once the students have successfully completed the course, Furniture World Private College, in conjunction with the National Skills Fund (NSF) offers a further six months’ support programme.
The newly qualified artisans are assisted with formulating co-operatives and provided with start-up materials and business support.
Numerous crèches in Khula Village received ottomans, mattresses, blankets, clothes, pyjamas and educational materials made by the clothing design and ECD graduates, while local schools, both primary and high schools, received uniforms for their most needy pupils.
The highlight of the handover event, however, was when Sibongile Mthiyane was officially handed the keys to her new house, built by the construction graduates.
It will be furnished with the cupboards, tables and chairs made by the cabinet making graduates.
Thrilled to no longer have to sleep on the floor in her makeshift wooden abode, Sibongile Mthiyane was moved to tears as she was handed the keys to her new home.
