ACTOM has launched a Women’s Empowerment Programme aimed at providing work skills training to young women to enable them to set up and operate small businesses of their own.
Late last year 20 women were selected for training in a variety of work skills after interviews were conducted among unemployed young women from local townships and informal settlements in the vicinity of ACTOM’s head office and factories site in Knights, Germiston.
“The skills training got under way in January this year covering work that includes trade skills such as carpentry, plumbing, painting, electrical skills and solar installation, as well as beauty and nails, seamstress and completion of an N4 in HR by one of the encumbents,” said Sy Gourrah, Senior General Manager: Smart Technologies, who is one of three woman trustees appointed by senior management to manage the group’s Women’s Empowerment trust, together with the assistance of Kobus Swanepoel, the Technical Training Manager.
“The range of skills for which training is being provided is based on the types of work the women themselves are interested in learning to do,” Sy explained, adding that most of the courses are SETA-accredited courses.
As part of the programme the trainees are also receiving “new venture” training to enable them to start and operate their own businesses within their communities in applying their newly-acquired work skills.
“This portion of the programme, which was launched in April this year, overlaps the work skills training portion. It is designed to ensure that the women can apply their skills, earn a living for themselves and their families and at the same time contribute to the upliftment of their communities,” commented Alleyzandt Verhufen, John Thompson’s HR Executive, who is also a trustee for the Women’s Empowerment Programme.
In the “new venture” course the trainees receive basic entrepreneurial training. “This learnership equips them with all the basic skills of running a small business, including how to prepare a business plan, how to manage your finances and how to market and sell yourself and the services you provide,” Alleyzandt pointed out.
The third trustee, Moreka Gomez, LH Marthinusen’s Financial Manager, said: “This is a very exciting pilot programme ACTOM has engaged in and we are hoping for a very successful outcome for the selected trainees, so that the programme can continue to benefit young unemployed females for many years to come.”
