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Govt, private sector join forces to promote skills development at schools

Govt, private sector join forces to promote skills development at schools

27th November 2014

By: Creamer Media Reporter

  

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From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report. With South Africa faced with a significant shortfall in skilled artisans, gas and welding products group Afrox has partnered with the Gauteng Department of Education by investing over R1-million in upgrading and resourcing the welding training facilities of five under-privileged technical high schools in Gauteng. Ilan Solomons has the story.

Ilan Solomons:
The upgrading and resourcing partnership campaign was officially launched at the Jabulani Technical High School, in Soweto last month. Afrox MD Brett Kimbler explains the rationale behind initiative.

Afrox MD Brett Kimbler

Ilan Solomons:
For the South African economy to develop to its full potential, the country needs to reindustrialise and, for this to be achieved there needs to be a sufficient number of skilled individuals says Gauteng Department of Education deputy-director general for educational support Vuyani Mpofu.

Gauteng Department of Education deputy-director general for educational support Vuyani Mpofu

Ilan Solomons:
The upgrade to the welding training centre at the Jabulani Technical High School has provided learners with opportunities to learn the art of welding and to appreciate the skills required to become an artisan. Jabulani Technical High School grade 11 learner Lebogang Tsele explains why she has developed a keen interest for welding.

Jabulani Technical High School grade 11 learner Lebogang Tsele

Ilan Solomons: Piece to camera

Shannon de Ryhove:
State-owned power utility Eskom’s biannual Energy Efficient Lighting Design competition awards took place in Sandton, Johannesburg, last month, showcasing local environment-friendly designs by students, learners and professionals under the theme Celebrate 20 Years of Democracy. Sashnee Moodley tells us more.

Sashnee Moodley:
The competition began as a pilot project in 1999 to introduce lighting designers to energy efficient technologies and motivate residential consumers to buy lampshades that complement energy efficient technologies

The three categories of this year’s competition drew 506 entries, with six finalists in each.

Eskom senior GM Andrew Etzinger:
It has been particularly impressive to see how entrants have harnessed developments in technology to present solutions that take the South African context into account, with its own set of constantly changing variables, from economics to tastes. This year’s entrants once again demonstrated remarkable creativity, not only in terms of highly original names for their creations but also the designs themselves. Names were chosen to reflect this years theme: ‘Celebrate 20 Years of Democracy, all telling a story of our unique heritage and reflecting a truly South African identity.

Sashnee Moodley:
Category C showcased designs from promising learners, and Stellenberg High School learner Megan Laughton, from Cape Town, was the winner of R10 000 in this category for her Shredded Lantern design.

Category C Winner Megan Laughton:
It feels really amazing to be the winner in category C. I didn’t expect it. It’s really amazing.

I designed the Shredded Lantern, which is a design that makes use of shredded telephone directory pages.

I decided to use the telephone directory pages because it symbolises how everybody’s number is unified into one book in the same way everyone is unique but united in one democratic South Africa. And without the segregation laws, everyone can come together. I decided to pack the strips of shredded paper on top of each other in a random weaved look. The thought process behind this was that it symbolises how apartheid was shredded and torn apart and rebuilt into the democracy in the same way the paper has been shredded and rebuilt into the light.

I was inspired to make this design after researching different symbols of apartheid and also democracy and also looking at weaving. For some reason I was drawn to weaving so that is how I came to this concept.

Shannon de Ryhove:
Other news making headlines this week: City of Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gunguble pledges to ensure a more predictable, stable business environment.

As the City of Ekurhuleni continues its bid to develop the largely industrialised metropole into the continent’s first aerotropolis, executive mayor Mondli Gungubele has committed the city to creating a predictable, stable and enabling business environment in which foreign and local funders could be confident that their capital investments were secured.

City of Ekurhuleni executive mayor Mondli Gungubele

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.

Edited by Shannon de Ryhove
Contributing Editor

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