The National Department of Higher Education and Training, and the Transport SETA (TETA), in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, have taken learning to a new level with a unique educational interactive career guidance experience for 30 previously disadvantaged girls selected from rural girls’ schools in all nine provinces. This initiative comes in the form of an after-exam tour that will take the girls through in situ experiences of aviation, rail and maritime transport in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal.
The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana MP, and the chief executive officer of TETA, Ms Maphefo Anno-Frempong, visited three girls' schools during August 2013. Schools visited were in Soweto, Kwa-Dlengezwa and Lady Frere. The purpose of the visits was to promote careers that address scarce and critical skills in the transport sector, including in rail, maritime and aviation. This is in line with the imperative to increase women representativity in the sector.
During these visits, the deputy minister and Ms Anno-Frempong undertook to facilitate exposure of the girls to careers in the transport sector through visits to various transport-related schools, such as the School of Rail, Bombela Operating Company, Maritime School of Excellence, South African Airways and Natal Shark Board. To this end, TETA, in conjunction with the principals of the participating schools, selected 30 previously disadvantaged girls to visit these institutions after their exams.
Ms Anno-Frempong said: “This after-exam tour by the learners from all the nine provinces is a confirmation that TETA is prioritising the development and empowerment of women in the sector.” She added that the learners afforded this opportunity hail from the most rural areas of the country, and that some are from challenging backgrounds.
Both the deputy minister and the TETA CEO agree that this is a small contribution that both entities can do to fast-track the development and empowerment of women, and they called upon the broader industry to open doors for these learners and afford them more exposure to transport-related careers.
“The Nelson Mandela Foundation supports the work by partners like TETA and the Department of Higher Education and Training, who uplift education and learning in this country in ensuring a better tomorrow. South Africa’s democratic vision is about making it possible to give our youth a fighting and equal chance. Education is still the foundation of this opportunity. At the dawn of the 21st century, in a world where knowledge truly is power and literacy is the skill that unlocks the gates of opportunity and success, we all have a responsibility as parents, as caregivers, as educators, as leaders and as citizens, to instil in our children the critical drive for literacy and learning, so that we can give them the chance to fulfil their dreams,” says Sello Hatang, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Madiba said: “Children of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and education is a very important weapon to prepare children for their future roles as leaders of the community.”
About TETA
The Transport Sector Education and Training Authority (TETA) was formally established along with all the other original SETAs in March 2000, two years after the Skills Development Act of 1998 became law in South Africa. The functions of TETA are in line with the functions of all the other South African SETAs, as defined in the legislation. However, TETA has identified four specific functions that it deems to be the most important:
- The development of a Sector Skills Plan (SSP) for the transport sector.
- The implementation of the Sector Skills Plan.
- The quality assurance of Education Training Development interventions.
- Disbursement of levy grants.
All of the above functions are carried out with the primary objective of increasing skilled workforce and supply to the following sectors: aerospace, maritime, road freight, road passenger, rail, freight handling, forwarding and clearing, and taxi.
For more information, please contact Sabelo Mbuku, +27 (0)11 577 7000/7076 or +27 (0)83 679 8869, or Sabelom@teta.org.za.