The Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) has completed the building of the Ingwavuma Skills Development Centre (SDC), with the new centre officially opened on Wednesday, November 20.
The SDC will offer skills and training opportunities to young people in the area and surrounding areas in Umkhanyakude District Municipality. Ingwavuma, a rural town in KwaZulu-Natal that borders the province and eSwatini, forms part of CETA’s mandate of providing equal facilities to both urban and rural areas. CETA aims to address the shortage of skills development opportunities, while also offering much-needed training to young people in such areas.
The newly-built SDC was constructed with the necessary facilities and capacity to offer training across various disciplines including artisanal, carpentry, plumbing, electrical and solar manufacturing – with a further addition of ICT digital skills training. The priority targeted groups are the youth, women and people living with disabilities within the Ingwavuma community.
The Ingwavuma SDC is earmarked to serve as a satellite campus of the Umfolozi TVET College in Richards Bay, under the King Cetshwayo District Municipality. The CETA is one of the key and strategic Setas in South Africa responsible for infrastructure skills and capacity building for the built environment or construction sector.
During the construction of the Ingwavuma SDC, more than 300 jobs were created which included general labourers, bricklayers, skilled and unskilled workers, as well as other job opportunities. Some of the work was sub-contracted to small businesses in the area. After the opening of the SDC, there will be around 25 permanent jobs created with many other job opportunities within the value chain on the way – all for the benefit of the residents of Ingwavuma.
“This project was identified with the sole intention of addressing challenges faced by rural communities. This is where the lack of training facilities is and Ingwavuma is one of many areas across South Africa that has similar challenges. There is an urgent need to develop relevant skills as we continue to foster the creation of employment opportunities, entrepreneurial skills, reskilling and community participation. We are thankful to Inkosi Lubelo II of the Mngomezulu clan for his unwavering support for this project,” said Malusi Shezi, CETA CEO.
The CETA had committed to build the SDC in 2011, and has since been followed by two further sod-turning ceremonies.
For the next five years, until 2030, the CETA is committed to implementing the following programmes, among others:
- Supporting this SDC to be an accredited Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) trade test centre to serve all the uMkhanyakude, Zululand and Big Five districts – including some eSwatini and Mozambican duly registered nationals.
- Apprenticeships of at least 50 per annum entered to start their training at this centre.
- Learnerships of 50 per annum
- Short skills programmes of 100 per annum.
- Career guidance for high school learners and NEETs to be held annually.
- Support the NBI’s build of an entrepreneurship hub at this SDC in the next 24 months.
“The construction of such SDCs is a key component as we seek to address the challenges of youth unemployment, which is a big challenge across various economies globally. However, I am certain that as South Africa undertakes such projects, we are on the right path to address this challenge,” added Shezi.
The Ministry of Higher Education and Training joined the CETA in the celebration of this milestone and the handing over of the Ingwavuma SDC to the Umfolozi TVET. Members of the community and key stakeholders were invited to attend and experience this historic facility first-hand.
Following the Ingwavuma SDC event, the focus moved to Ngoje near Vryheid for the sod-turning ceremony of yet another skills development centre, with an estimated value of R100 million.