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Elders who recently graduated from a two-week basic sewing and shawl making training under the Out of School Education and Training (OSET) unit that aims to promote self-reliance and poverty alleviation have been encouraged to use the skills to earn a living.
The Skills Development and Training Programme (SDTP) is one of the programmes offered by OSET to youth, adults and children in a bid to provide learners with skills, knowledge attitude that would allow them to adapt to a work situation. It also aims at preparing learners for employment, self employment and or further education.
Furthermore, the programme is demand driven and open to a wide spectrum of adults and youth who express the need to be trained on vocational and entrepreneurial skills relevant to their lives. It offers learners with basic skills in areas of agriculture, art and design, design and technology, home economics and business management.
The recent beneficiaries were admitted at the ‘Rose of Sharon’ Institute for the non-credit bearing short course. The institute offers fashion design, clothing technology and basic sowing with the mandate of empowering people to use their hands and earn a living.
Speaking during the graduation, Chief Education Officer at the North West Regional Education Office Kegodile Mahudinga praised the graduates for enrolling in short training without worrying about stigma of attending school at an old age.
Mahudinga further encouraged the graduates to use the knowledge and skills to make a living for themselves by opening up businesses. He said that even those who have other sources of income should also use their sewing and shawl making skills to earn more income. He added that they should also share the knowledge with those willing to learn.
For her part, Director of the Rose of Sharon Institute Ketty Motsi Masora advised that it would be beneficial for government to help the graduates with material needed to startup a business like machines so that they do not sit on their knowledge and skills. She also said that the government could offer also provide the market for them.
For her part, one of the shawl making graduates Ditepo Tsatsi of Legothwana village expressed gratitude and said that she is looking forward to starting her own business. She added that the patience the trainers have is the reason why they were able to grasp the concept and perfected their skills.
“The first few days were so difficult and I was ready to give up but my trainer Reatlholetswe Moyo was patient with me and pushed me to work harder and today I am proud to be holding my certificate,” Tsatsi said.
