GEORGE NEWS - Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers addressed a group of young entrepreneurs last Friday, 12 November, during a training programme for contractor development at the Lawaaikamp Community Hall.
A total of 30 students, of whom 19 are female, from various communities across George are participating in this two-week long training programme from 8 to 19 November.
The aim of the programme is to empower youths and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) with new skills. Some of these SMMEs are from some of the most impoverished communities in the Western Cape.
This development training is made possible through a partnership between the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements, the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), South African Revenue Service (Sars), Development Action Group (Dag) and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda).
In front from left are Western Cape CIDB manager Thanduxolo Ndyenge, Phumza Mbokwana (NHBRC), Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers, and Bandile Vani and Fikile Hlobonganga (both from NHBRC).
Content covered in this course includes technical training, finance for non-financial managers, project management and construction management.
Simmers congratulated the students for taking the first step in empowering themselves: “This is truly empowering, as they clearly see the benefits of being part of such an important programme.”
The Western Cape Department of Human Settlements has spent and committed more than 60% of its R2,6-billion Human Settlement Development Grant (HSDG) budget on empowering emerging contractors in the financial years of 2019 and 2020.
Simmers said the province is developing a contractor’s framework geared towards attracting construction companies that have a women ownership of 51% and more. “The primary objective is to create tangible and sustainable opportunities for our women within this sector and we are the first province to do so in the country,” he said.
Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers (centre front) with stakeholders at the event.
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