South Cape FET College embarks on the Workplace-Based Experience programme in an effort to address and narrow the skills gap that adds to youth unemployment.
This programme provides students with relevant experience through visits to, and placements in, actual workplaces.
George Magistrates Court (Department of Justice), Mossel Bay and Beaufort Municipalities, and Swift Engineering Mossel Bay - through negotiations by Selwyn Kiewiet (South Cape College Job Placement Officer) - decided to partner with the college in providing students opportunity to do job shadowing during the college holiday for the week of 3-7 October. In total, 11 students benefited from these experiential learning placements.
Students at the George Magistrates Court are from the Office Administration department and those at the two Municipalities from the Engineering department. They are all currently final year students.
Being exposed to real workplace operations and the way employees carry out their jobs, work together and engage with clients in the context of everyday operational demands, are invaluable to the students, whose confidence, maturity, motivation and communication skills are developed as they need to perform well and be successful. Experience gained might help them for future job applications.
Businesses are requested to register to become a member of the Industry Advisory Committee in the quest to narrow the margin of youth unemployment.
College students and their mentors at the George Magistrates Court were (from left) Mariëtte Jonck (Finance section supervisor), Luzaria Makhozi (Interpreters supervisor), Miriam Shabe (student), Shameegh Jappie (Maintenance section supervisor), Nyameka Wani (Court manager), Theresa Vigis (George Family Court supervisor), Moegamat Cerfonteyn (Area Court manager: George), Sandra Maart (student), Corinne Terblanche (student), Carla Botha (student) and Selwyn Kiewiet (South Cape FET College job placement officer).
