Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) in conjunction with its partners is pioneering an exciting new career development programme within the agricultural export market. The Agri Export Technologist Programme allows individuals to participate in a one year experiential training opportunity, which is designed to expose learners on a theoretical and practical level to the agri export supply chain and to provide them with a head start in advancing themselves professionally within this thriving sector. Read here for further details.
AgriSETA and Media Works
Most of us consider learning our ABC’s and the subsequent reading and writing process as an early childhood rite of passage, but for a large part of South Africa’s population this was an unattainable privilege and a large percentage of people working in the South African agricultural sector are illiterate.
The Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority (AgriSETA) and service provider Media Works have set in motion a bold plan to address this problem by bringing ABET (Adult Basic Education and Training) to farms and related industries.
“We plan to provide computer based ABET training to 15 000 people within the agricultural sector”, explains Johann Engelbrecht, Project Manager for AgriSETA.
This is a priority AgriSETA project and has received substantial funding. So far AgriSETA has placed approximately 1000 of their computers on farms, in packhouses and agribusinesses for training and the ratio of computers to learners varies between 1 to 10 learners and 1 to 15 learners.
“Most of these learners will participate in the programme using personal computers (PC’s) provided by AgriSETA to assist them and the training and software is provided by Media Works, whose method of multi-media training has shown excellent results”, Johann added.
According to Francois de-Meillon, Project Manager for Media Works, the ABET training concentrates on two areas of learning, firstly communications in English and basic literacy and secondly numeracy. AgriSETA has spent R2 million translating the programme into mother tongue literacy and communications and literacy component is now also available in Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu and Sepedi at Level 1. He added that the rolling out of the second phase of training is progressing well and that by May 2006 they were training 6000 learners.
“To put it simply, the way this works is that between AgriSETA and Media Works, we provide the computers, the software, work books and training for the facilitator and the farm or agribusiness provides the training venue, stationery and the facilitator. The farm and agribusiness employs the facilitator and once the facilitator is trained, he or she will assess the potential learners in the enterprise to determine at which level they should start the ABET learning. Once this has been done, the training process commences and our local representative will monitor the learning process and examination at the end”, Francois explained.
The direct benefit of the training is that people become literate, but the indirect benefit is that the computer technology and training facility create “climate of learning” for all people on the farms and related businesses, many of whom have never been exposed to this. It also provides the opportunity for computer literacy for children and a learning resource for students. The long-term impact of this access to computer technology for agri sector workers and their families is likely to be quite profound.
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The Poultry Institute The KwaZulu Natal Poultry Institute is breaking new ground with a programme that pragmatically equips unemployed people for jobs in the poultry sector. The programme involved almost a year of practical and theoretical training and was made possible from the funding of AgriSETA and the Swiss South African Co operation Initiative. Students were exposed to a work period of experiential work at commercial poultry enterprises as part of their course. At the Poultry Management Training Centre, trainees have been produced with sound practical and theoretical grounding in poultry production and have been given post-training assistance with job placement or business start-up. Julie Nixon, the institute’s administration director says trainees were afforded many new opportunities. KwaZulu Natal’s First Lady, Zama Ndebele, praised the pioneering work of the organization, of which she is president. She said it was a unique organistation that was setting an enviable example, particularly in the area of people development and skills training in the poultry industry. This should be a good example for bringing together young trainees, commercial farmers, funding organizations, educational institutions and government departments. Nixon said the programme had the support of the University of KwaZulu Natal, and that the training centre had been established on part of the university’s research and training farm, Ukulinga. |
 The First Lady of KwaZulu-Natal, Zama Ndebele (right) receives a tray of eggs from Pearl Nzama (left), a student at the KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Institute, while the Institute's Administrative Director, Julie Nixon, (centre) looks on. The institute trains unemployed people for jobs in the poultry industry in a programme unique to the province. |
KwaZulu is unique, as certain local poultry producers provide voluntary financial support for the poultry institute. The institute also strives to ensure the availability of poultry health and disease services for commercial and emergent farmers. To this end the institute maintains close communication with the Department of Agriculture. (The Mercury)
We would like to thank all the Employers who submitted their Workplace Skills Plans (WSP’s) and ATR’s on 30th June 2006.
Please note that Mandatory Grants are being disbursed quarterly in May, August, November and February.
Our Mandatory Grant Policy and Discretionary Grant Policy can be accessed on the website under the Levies and Grants menu on www.agriseta.co.za.
| Dates to remember: | ||
| August | ||
| Thursday | 17 | Executive Committee Meeting |
| September | ||
| Tuesday | 5 | SSC Sugar |
| Wednesday | 6 | Seed & Pest Control SSC Fruit |
| Thursday | 7 | SSC Tobacco |
| Monday | 11 | SSC Fibre, Tea & Coffee |
| Tuesday | 12 | SSC Poultry SSC Red Meat |
| Wednesday | 13 | SSC Milling SSC Grain |
| October | ||
| Thursday | 5 | NSDS Conference |
| Friday | 6 | NSDS Conference |
| Tuesday | 24 | Executive Committee Meeting |
| Wednesday | 25 | Governing Body Meeting |
| Thursday | 26 | Annual General Meeting & Conference |
| Friday | 27 | |
Quote for the day:
| “Success is determined by those whom prove the impossible, possible.” |
| James W Pence |
Contact:
Tel: (012) 325 1655
Fax: (012) 325 1677
Email: info@agriseta.co.za
Website: http://www.agriseta.co.za
Copyright 2006 - Agriseta , All rights reserved.