Opportunities for Youth

One of the most important aspects of the C4L mandate is to assist young women and men to develop their skills and talents.  They are the future - both as its leaders and as the backbone on which South African society will rebuild and grow.

Opportunities for youth at C4L include some accredited courses that are part of the National Qualifications Framework, as well as other courses that have a more motivational or occupational focus.  These are distinguished as "formal" and "non-formal" training.

Accredited training at C4L involves joint ventures with other training providers.

In other words, C4L is the Employer, not the training provider. Ideally, C4L identifies poor and unemployed youth, so that during the period of training, they can also be paid a stipend for the practicums part of their work/study programme.

C4L serves as the training venue as learners are spread out over numerous communities.  C4L faculty can also contribute to course content as Facilitators, but not a Assessors or Moderators (those remits remain with the appointed Training provider).  C4L faculty and extension workers oversee the Kids Clubs, camps and advocacy projects that constitute the placements.

It means that youth activists serving as community volunteers can combine study and community work towards accedited training.

Accredited Courses

By offering courses that are accredited, C4L is participating in capacity building according to national standards set by SAQA, the South African Qualifications Authority. The students involved in this training are in their late teens or early twenties. For various reasons they have been unable to complete their high school previously, or they are out-of-school and unemployed. These young people can register for courses at either:

• Level 4 to obtain the equivalent of matriculation, or
• Level 5 which is the equivalent of a one year post matriculation certificate programme.

With an accreditated certificate, graduates are qualified for employment, specifically in the area of community development and project management.

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Project Management

The qualification programmed at C4L in 2012 is:

Project Management (Level 4)  SAQA ID #50080

C4L volunteers have appealed for Social Auxiliary Worker training. The government of South Africa employs people with this qualification to assist full Social Workers.  So this is also "in the pipeline" at C4L.

Social Auxiliary Worker

Coming soon!

Plans are in the works to offer this Qualification at C4L on an on-going basis.

This is because of the arrival of Mpho Singane at C4L after finishing his Social Work degree.

Stay tuned for more on this in the near future!

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Solar Technician

The new Livelihood Support Unit at C4L mixes vocational training and business training.  Its focus is to support the coming boom in solar water heating (PT) and later in solar lighting and charging (PV).

C4L is now outfitted to train solar technicians (1 week), in collaboration with AITF.

It is also able to offer accredited MicroMBA training to self-employed youth including the solar technicians.

All LSU courses are accredited by SAQA.

Basic Plumbing

C4L is now outfitted to train plumbers (3 - 9 weeks), in collaboration with AITF.

It is also able to offer accredited MicroMBA training to self-employed youth including plumbers. The vision is to create a team of one full plumber and 2 - 4 solar technicians in each community, working as a local solar brigade.

It is also able to offer accredited MicroMBA training to self-employed youth including the plumbers.

All LSU courses are accredited by SAQA.

 

NON-FORMAL TRAINING

C4L began to form its Youth Corps in 2005, after two years of planning and fundraising. Since then,a great deal of hands-on leadership training has been done either on Saturdays, or in one-week courses, or in pre-camps. While these settings are not accredited, they add up to a lot of practical know-how. In 2010, this training has been mainly focused on two Advocacy projects - one raising awareness about Body Parts Trafficking, and the other building consciousness about Child Trafficking. As usual, training took place at C4L that resulted in activism at community level.

 

 

BLASTS FROM THE PAST

Development Practice (2008)

The ETDP-SETA appointed a training provider.  Volunteers in the C4L Youth Corps were taught to understand the processes and skills necessary for starting and running a successful project, including conducting community assessments, developing business plans, making applications for funding, and managing finances.

While 30% of the course time is spent in the classroom learning theory, 70% is spent in the field putting these theories into action. The practical work for each student centers on assisting orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in the areas surrounding C4L by:

• Organizing and operating an after-school Kids Club at school level
• Acting as role models by promoting healthy life styles, and giving the children opportunities to talk constructively about drugs, pregnancy and alcohol abuse.
• Making regular visits to evaluate the home situation of each of the affected children and preparing and submitting written assessments to the Programme Manager of C4L's OVC Project.
• Assisting with psycho-social support camps at Orchard Camp on the C4L campus during school holidays
  

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New Venture Creation (2006)

Twelve youth were registered in a New Ventures Creation course to develop a good understanding of what they needed to start their own business in the area of their personal interest. 

This was a one year course and included practical business skills, including developing a business plan, making a loan application, registering a small business, and the various aspects of business financial management.  During the process learners also developed and practiced the social skills, business ethics and moral responsibility needed by young entrepreneurs.  Their practical work involved setting their plan into action so that when they completed their course, they had a small business that is up and running and already starting to provide them a living.

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