Twenty Orange Farm residents are the first intake of a six-week End User Computing and Administration programme aimed at improving their prospects of entering the workplace.
The programme forms part of Rhiza’s newly established community training hub, launched in Orange Farm on September 11 in partnership with the Orange Farm United Taxi Association (OFUTA). The centre is intended to bring skills development, digital learning and enterprise support closer to residents.
Ward 3 Councillor Simon Molefe welcomed the first intake, saying the initiative could provide participants with practical knowledge that can be used beyond the classroom.
“The program is aiming to empower the youth of Orange Farm with skills that will enable them the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills and also to open doors for them in the world of work,” Molefe said.
The initial course will run for six weeks, after which another recruitment process is expected to begin.
Molefe said the intention is to reach more residents through successive intakes rather than limiting the programme to the first group of 20.
Rhiza Babuyile Marketing Manager Lungile Khambule said affordability and a lack of relevant qualifications or experience can leave many young people struggling to progress.
“The youth is impacted by various factors that hinder progress. If you cannot afford paying for further education or cannot get efficient work because you lack certain knowledge and skills to be absorbed in formal employment, you are stuck,” Khambule said.
She described the Orange Farm centre as the beginning of a longer-term response to some of those barriers.
“The launch of the Skills Hub in Orange Farm marks the beginning of a deliberate effort to address some of the issues that negatively affect our communities in order to build better futures,” Khambule said.
The End User Computing and Administration course is only one part of the centre’s planned offering. According to Rhiza, future programmes will include workplace readiness, robotics, coding, STEM education, digital literacy and enterprise development. Entrepreneurs are also expected to have access to mentorship, networking and business development support.
The organisation already has a presence in Orange Farm through its Mpathy Clinic and Amathuba farm, which provides practical learning opportunities for aspiring agripreneurs.
For the first 20 participants, however, the immediate focus is completing the six-week course before the next group gets its opportunity.
Caption: The first group of 20 participants, together with stakeholders, ready to bring change ekasi.
