Opportunities for Youth

One of the most important aspects of the C4L mandate is to assist young women and men to develop skills and talents so that they can contribute to South African society rebuilding and growing.

The Opportunities for Youth at C4L include some accredited courses that are part of the National Qualifications Framework.  There is also some "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 as Assessors or Moderators (those remits remain with the appointed Training Provider).  C4L faculty and extension workers oversee the Kids Clubs practicums and placements.

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

Accredited Training

C4L offers training to youth 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. They may have completed Matric, or still be at FET level.  These young people can register for courses at:

• Entry level or Levels 1 - 3
  
• Level 4 that is high school level
  
• Level 5 which is the equivalent to first year post-matric

Training Providers may be appointed by the respective SETAs.  Or they may be affiliated with the Ehlanzeni (District) FET College.

With an accreditated certificate, graduates are qualified for employment. This can vary from one Unit Standard (e.g. MicroMBA) to a full certificate (e.g. in New Venture Creation).

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Project Management

The qualification programmed at C4L in 2013 is:

Project Management (Level 4)  SAQA ID #50080

These skills are mission-critical to any aspect of the human services.

Active Listening

Coming soon!

Plans are in the works to offer a new kind of Counseling training.  In the past, C4L has trained both teachers and youth leaders to provide Grief Couseling to OVC.

This is going to a new level in 2013.

GREEN LIVELIHOODS

Renewable Energy

C4L's Livelihood Support Unit combines entrepreneurship training with technical.  Its focus is to support the emergence of a Green Economy in South Africa.  For example, with solar water heating (photo-thermal) and later in solar lighting and charging (photo-voltaic).

First C4L offers business training so that youth may then determine which business opportunities actually exist in their own communities in this sector.

Once a specific Business Plan is formulated, then learners will also be offered the relevant technical skills.  Normally these are Unit Standards.

In the Diversified Green Coops that C4L is promoting at community level, different members can acquire different technical skills, giving each Coop a bouquet of services to market by individual micro-entrepreneurs.

Green Occupations

14 new Geen Occupations were added to the OFO (Organizing Framework for Occupations) in 2012.

These include:

• Water and plumbing
  
• Renewable energy (e.g. solar)
• Re-cycling solid waste
• Re-cycling water and organic waste (e.g. composting and permaculture)
• Erosion control (e.g. Vetiver grass)
• Treeplanting for carbon catching (e.g. Spekboem)

Stay tuned for more on this in the near future!

NON-FORMAL TRAINING

C4L began to form its Youth Corps in 2005. 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. Starting in 2010, this training shifted from OVC care and support to 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.

Since 2012, C4L has awaited Learnerships awarded by the Services SETA (in Project Management and Business Practice).  In 2013, C4L awaits further inputs from the Energy & Water SETA.  So there has been a swing away from non-formal training.

 

 

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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