10 Jul 2023

Tonota District Council has launched the Ipelegeng Skills Development Component (ISDC) to re-engineer the Ipelegeng programme. 

Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony, acting council secretary, Mr Onthatile Molelu encouraged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the programme to improve their living standards. 

The programme seeks to empower Ipelegeng beneficiaries through training on occupational or artisan skills, productivity, mind change and smart work ethics, as well as delivering development projects, maintenance and construction of public buildings and roads.

He said when construction companies were hired to do certain jobs within the community, Ipelegeng workers were hired as labourers, which enabled them to acquire certain skills. 

Mr Molelu stated that with the ISDC they were looking forward to bringing back the same concept as the Ipelegeng Programme, but with a different approach as now people would be enrolled for jobs and training at the same time. 

He further said in Mandunyane Ipelegeng had enrolled 32 of its workers under the Construction Industry Trust Fund (CITF) for six months, adding that the 32 students would carry out the renovation and extension of the village clinic. 

“ISDC is practically having access to on-the-job training,” said Mr Molelu, noting that their main belief was that at the end of one’s journey with ISDC, one would become an entrepreneur and help eradicate unemployment.

For her part, CITF senior facilitator, Ms Ontlametse Segwagwa said the programme aimed to enhance skills training on infrastructure development. 

CITF, she said, had adopted the competency Mozilla training method, whereby facilitators promote active learning through letting learners explore content and apply skills through the completion of a project. 

She further stated that they were looking forward to bringing advanced skills teaching to students from Ipelegeng, as a way of bringing developments to communities through the ISDC programme. 

Ms Segwagwa explained that upon completion of their six months training, students would receive certificates.

“These certificates will enable our students to apply for jobs and tenders,” said Ms Segwagwa. ENDs