Funding from ward allocation budgets to the value of over R4 million has been invested in skills development initiatives for youth and the purchasing of additional material for various public libraries.
A number of wards across the various subcouncils have opted to invest in youth skills and development. Across the various wards young people were given an opportunity to upskill themselves, giving them the edge in terms of future employment opportunities. They were afforded the opportunity to choose between a variety of training opportunities such as home-based care and how to administer first aid. A group of 23 learners opted to become tourist guides while others chose the more practical, hard-skills such as plumbing, welding and carpentary.
Budding entrepreneurs and tech savy youth were provided with a platform to be trained in business skills and computer skills development programmes.
In addition to skills training, a large chunk of ward allocations were pumped into educational material to increase resources in libraries. The City’s libraries are well resourced facilities and cater for all ages from toddlers to seniors.
The 24 Subcouncils located across the four geographical areas of the city (north, south, east and central) each receive a ward allocation budget every year. This purpose of this budget allocation is to deliver on local projects within wards that have a positive impact on the lives of residents within that specific area.
‘Our subcouncils and wards are at the heart of communities. They are well placed to what the needs and priorities are at the coal-face of communities. At the beginning of April I was pleased to note that all areas had spent over 60% of their allocated budget,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.
The group of 23 unemployed youth being trained as Tourist Guides, received a practical, hands-on experience of what to expect in this field. Learners were equipped with practical skills on how to conduct local tourist excursions, good customer services and best practice in order to enhance the tourism experience for tourists. The training also included a basic First Aid component.
The project was also diversified to include job creation opportunities for young people through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
In addition to the above, information sessions and entrepreneurship workshops for community-based vendors and small businesses were hosted.
‘This activity stands-out for me and I must commend the teams on the ground who are driving this; entrepreneurs were taken on a tour to learn from and share experiences with successful entrepreneurs. This was a great peer-to-peer learning opportunity for entrepreneurs,’ said Alderman Twigg.
Across the subcouncils and wards, a number of public libraries received minor upgrades to certain sections. Additionally, new books, audio CD’s, DVD’s, books and other materials were purchased to bump-up the resources available for young and old.
‘The City’s libraries are well-used spaces for young and old. We, therefore, need to make sure they all well equipped with the latest materials for the growing number of members,’ added Alderman Twigg.
Source: City Of Cape Town