Education and training

new schools are under construction in the province in 2020/21 with a further 25 to enter the planning phase in the 2021/22 financial year.

In the annual State of the Province Address in 2021, Premier Job Mokgoro acknowledged the contribution to school building and upgrading of several companies: Glencore, Impala Platinum, Samancor, Sibanye Gold, Northam Zondereinde Community Trust and Sun International Limited.

The PPC Training Centre in Slurry near Mahikeng admitted 25 young people as part of the provincial government’s Artisan Development Programme in 2020. A further 10 were placed at the Intelek Training Centre for assessment to resume their apprenticeships.

Another provincial programme, the Automotive Skills Development Programme, aims to involve 200 young people in learning all about repairing, welding, panel-beating and the workings of engines at the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC).

The provincial government has also been training people in useful digital work. A group of 144 young people were trained and hired as business regulations data capturers for the SMME Relief Fund. They are also developing an online provincial database of liquor traders in the province.

Another programme that has received young people for skills training is the EPWP Waste Management & Biodiversity Economy Programme and 100 beneficiaries will get work experience in tourism businesses.

In an effort to incubate 135 new SMMEs and create 540 jobs over the next three years, the provincial government is partnering with a range of entities in manufacturing, engineering services, mine-water rehabilitation and the reclamation of gold in existing mine tailings. During the 2021/22 financial year, the provincial government will partner with: • Lepharo Incubator, a Seda Incubator (R22.3-million) • Harmony Gold’s Kraaipan Operations (R4.5-million) • Rustenburg Local Municipality (R9.5-million) • Department of Economic Development, Environment,

Conservation and Tourism, DEDECT (R14.5-million).

Technical Vocational and Educational Training colleges teach skills that are relevant to the workplace. North West has three TVET colleges with several campuses each. Vuselela TVET College has its headquarters in Klerksdorp, where there is also an accredited trade test centre. There are a further four campuses: Jouberton Centre for Engineering Studies; Matlosana Campus; Potchefstroom Centre for ICT and Taung Campus.

Orbit TVET College has three sites, Rustenburg, Mankwe and Brits, with about 15 000 students overall. The Rustenburg campus of Orbit College hosts a Microsoft IT Academy while the Mankwe campus offers automotive training, the result of a partnership between the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related SETA (MerSETA), Lelethu Training and Ford South Africa.

Orbit TVET College hosts an electronics academy courtesy of sponsors Samsung Electronics on the Mankwe campus, and in partnership with the MerSETA. Mankwe also offers Automotive Repair, Maintenance and Transport and Logistics and is a Centre of Specialisation in Diesel Trade. The Taung Agricultural College is accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) to offer the NQF level 6 Diploma in Agriculture specialising in Irrigation Technology. ■

ONLINE RESOURCES

Mining Qualifications Authority: www.mqa.org.za North West Department of Education: www.desd.nwpg.gov.za North-West University: www.nwu.ac.za NWU Business School: www.commerce.nwu.ac.za NWU aims to have 50% of contact students and 75% of first-year students accommodated in residences. Credit: NWU