The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government’s resolve to address skills gaps and skills mismatch, while providing quality training to empower youth to become successful entrepreneurs, has been given a major boost with the construction of the multi-million rands Dan Nkosi Skills Development Centre announced by Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube today.
The skills centre, worth R15 million is being built in partnership between Services SETA and the Department of Social Development and is aligned with the provincial government’s priorities on improving technical and vocational education and training.
Once completed, the skills centre will, among other things, provide training and skill development opportunities for individuals in rural communities, especially women, youth and disabled people in eDumbe Local Municipality and surrounding areas.
“The community will reap enormous benefits from the Dan Nkosi Skills Development Centre. When completed, the Skills Centre will be run in conjunction with the TVET College and the Department of Social Development, with an emphasis on providing behaviour change and accredited vocational skills training. This centre will help the community gain new skills, improve their existing skills, and become more competitive in the job market. The job market requires people who are competent in modern technological skills so that no one is left behind from the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is sweeping the world by storm,” said Premier Dube-Ncube.
The developments announcement by Premier Dube-Ncube comes hot on the heels of the State of the Province Address on 24 February 2023, where the provincial government committed to ensure mass job creation, by focusing on skills needed by various industries.
The centre is the culmination of the work, which was started in 2009, when the late Dr Meshack Radebe was MEC of Social Development.
“We are grateful to the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Social Development which led to the construction of the skills centre to get underway. In the near future, youth from eDumbe will no longer have to travel long distances and incur unnecessary expenses to access training and empowerment opportunities. It is our earnest hope that upon completion, this skills centre can provide training and resources for individuals who want to start their own businesses. This will help stimulate entrepreneurship in rural communities and encourage the development of new businesses and industries.”
“We want to emphasize to the community that this skills centre which is being built belongs to the community, therefore it is their responsibility to protect it from criminal elements during the construction phase and once complete because the vandalisation of the skills centre will take back the community and will be a waste of government resources.”
Premier Dube-Ncube said it was important to retain skills within our own communities in order to grow the local economy.
“The provincial government is rolling out programmes to empower entrepreneurs who wish to start their own businesses. Gone are the days when people with scarce skills were head-hunted by big companies in big cities. Therefore, the Skills Centre will go a long way in helping the region and the district develop much-needed skills, create jobs, encourage entrepreneurship, promote community development, and retain talent,” concluded Premier Dube-Ncube.
The Premier also announced the establishment of “gender-based violence free zones” that will serve as a safe place for gender-based violence survivors in eDumbe and surrounding areas.
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Issued by the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal