Hout Bay Skills Programme Graduation

Cape Town, South Africa, June 29, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Students from the Hout Bay area in Cape Town today attended the Hout Bay Skills Programme graduation ceremony at the Hangberg Community Centre. The coaching skills, administration and community development programme for activity implementers improved students’ employability and enabled them to initiate their own community projects.

After a 6-month community consultation process in Hout Bay with different stakeholders, eta College, Football Foundation of South Africa (FFSA) and the City of Cape Town delivered a vocational CATHSSETA accredited qualification Skills Programme which, through fitness workshops and classroom-based teaching, covered employment, community and sports development, resource mobilization, small business administration, financial management and personal development. What was unique about this programme is their practical assignment – developing a community-based project that should run for at least 6 months after graduation, with a strong element of sustainability to ensure maximum community benefit.

As a result of this four inspirational community-based projects have been launched: Caught in Sport, Girls in Action, Iliso Lomzi and Young Minds Entertainers. Each of these projects received start-up funding, stationery and equipment from the Football Foundation of South Africa, and will receive a support package that includes monthly consultation meetings to assist with projects, business plans and guidance.

Hout Bay, known for its beautiful mountains and harbor,
Situated in a beautiful area known for spectacular mountains and harbor, a town where class divisions are rampant, Hout Bay deals with various educational and employment issues that primarily result from its high crime rates, substance abuse, and shortages in institutional funding that further hinder youth from reaching their full potential. Gang violence has infiltrated schools and affect adults as well as children – many youths are vulnerable and at risk. Schools are under-resourced resulting in many children becoming socially excluded within poor communities without adequate access to further education and employment. The Hout Bay Skills Programme aimed to address this issue by bringing skills development and employability training to the different communities, fostering teamwork between the two different communities.

Students and guests including the Director of Sport, Recreation and Amenities for the City of Cape, Gert Bam, were welcomed by Donny Jurgens (City of Cape Town), before hearing from Leán Terblanche (FFSA Managing Director) who discussed the impact of the project and Paul Laemmle (eta Special Projects Manager) who spoke about partnerships and next steps for this programme.

Janice Paddey, eta facilitator, handed over the coveted certificates, Leán Terblanche and Julie Cheetham (FFSA General Manager) then announced the community project award recipients and handed over the project starter-kits. Julie Cheetham then thanked all the partners involved and after the ceremony guests enjoyed a 3 course dinner, courtesy of the City of Cape Town, whilst networking and celebrating the graduates’ success and bright futures ahead.