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Expanded Public Works Programme

Public Works boosts social sector skills base

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:57

The Department of Public Works brought its role players of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) under one roof in a two-day EPWP social sector training and capacity building summit in Sunninghill, Johannesburg.

Speaking to BuaNews at the opening of the summit, EPWP Operations chief director Kelebogile Sethibelo, said: “We don’t want to engage with our role players in silos. We convened this summit so that we can develop a detailed strategic training plan which will attract the majority of our young people into the EPWP social sector.”

Sethibelo said all role players, including the EPWP implementing agents and Sector Education and Training Authority (SETAs), will pledge their resources to fast track training and development.

“They will also make commitments and a pledge at the end of the summit so that they can be held accountable.”

EPWP social sector director, Pearl Lukwago-Mugerwa, said the summit will also discuss best approaches and mechanisms to provide quality, accredited training using approved programme training budgets and National Skills Fund (NSF) budget allocation.

“We will also look into other significant ways of doing things differently while implementing this EPWP social sector programme because we are determined to cultivate professionals from our informal programmes,” she said.

Chief executive officer of the Education Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP-SETA), Nombulelo Nxesi, said the summit came at the relevant time.

“This summit came at a critical time when government requires all of us to consolidate and work together in order to realise the outcome of sustainable job creation.

“It was long overdue; we have been working as individuals, now the summit brought all of us together to forge and strengthen our working friendship to ensure that our service providers deliver quality training.”

Nxesi said the department should continue to play a leading role by providing a strategic direction and widely communicated vision.

The EPWP social sector has set a target of training 15 000 beneficiaries in the 2011/12 financial year. Currently, 8 000 benefiaries are on training in different social sector programmes such as the Home Based Community Care, Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Community Safety Programme.

Public Works Deputy Director-General, Stanley Henderson, said the quality training provided to beneficiaries will maximise their opportunities to access formal employment by contributing significantly to poverty alleviation.

The objectives of the social sector training and capacity building summit are to understand the roles and responsibilities of EPWP social sector strategic partners in the effective co-ordination, facilitation and delivery of quality training.

Identifying the means to facilitate the uptake of identified accredited training programmes, strengthening advocacy on recruitment and selection of learners to mention, but a few.

The summit is being held under the theme “Ensuring Quality and Sustainable Skills Development Interventions to Build a Skilled Workforce and Combat Poverty”. - BuaNews