SPECIAL FEATURE Meloding
SPECIAL FEATURE Meloding Day Care Centre will host ECD teacher training. Promoting skills at all levels For pre-schoolers, students and graduates, training and skills are being provided by a diverse and enthusiastic group of volunteers, companies and agencies. There is considerable activity taking place in the education sector, over and above the efforts of the Free State Department of Education and all of the institutions that operate under it and the two national departments of education. More than 1 200 schools are listed by the National Department of Basic Education, there are four multi-campus Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges and two universities, the Central University of Technology and the University of the Free State. Promoting skills development is a growing trend. A Free State Skills Indaba was held in 2024, which focused on skills for SMMEs and unemployed young people. The skills development programmes of the Free State Provincial Government’s programmes have accommodated more than 3 000 unemployed graduates, including 300 who qualify for Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning as well as apprenticeships and learnership programmes. Various Sector Education Training Authorities (SETAs) have contributed R131-million to enable these programmes, including merSETA, Construction SETA, FASSET, ServicesSETA, BankSETA and Energy and Water SETA. Another 2 000 unemployed people will benefit from a scheme funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Empowering early childhood education Training for teachers of Early Childhood Development has received a boost in the Virginia area. Meloding ECD Teacher Training Centre was launched in 2024 with the support of Vesconite Bearings. A not-for-profit organisation known as Love Trust, with 10 affiliate ECD teacher-training centres, will FREE STATE BUSINESS 2025 12
SPECIAL FEATURE support the training of facilitators and assist with administrative tasks to ensure teachers meet NQF Level 4 ECD training standards. Support has also been received from organisations such as the Real Great Stuff (RGS) Group and the Alain Leger Personal Trust. The initiative holds personal significance for the Leger family, honouring the legacy of Elizabeth Maire Leger, the wife of Vesconite Bearings’ founder, Alain Leger. Over a two-year period, 11 teachers will undergo NQF Level 4 ECD training through Saturday sessions that will enable them to enhance their skills and foster their roles within their respective institutions. The project aspires to redefine early childhood education in the broader Virginia area, challenging conventional notions of rote learning. Emphasising play-centred teaching, the curriculum aims to cultivate a holistic range of skills, fostering creativity and critical developmental skills among students. Zamdela initiatives Further north, the Metsimaholo Local Municipality area hosts nearly 100 ECD centres. The area’s biggest commercial concern, Sasol, has consistently been devoting resources to assisting many of these centres, many of which are located in Zamdela, a township on the outskirts of Sasolburg. A multi-year campaign saw pit toilets replaced at many schools and other infrastructure was installed, for example kitchens and vegetable gardens. Furthermore, Sasol provides financial support for teacher training and has worked with Rotary to supply educational toys and materials. Sasol’s support for education aims to enable “access to quality education opportunities from early childhood education to employment”. As the company states in relation to Zamdela: “ECD learners - whose early-education experiences Sasol is working hard to improve - feed into the local primary and then high-school environments, all of which Sasol continuously supports with grants, training, bursaries and technical support. This longterm commitment is changing thousands of young Sasolburg lives every year.” After school Learnerships are learning programmes that require on-the-job learning supported by structured or Sasol supports ECD initiatives in Zamdela. institutional learning. Sasol has learnerships in a variety of fields, including boilermaking, chemicalplant operations, electrical operations, fitting, turning, rigging and welding. Furthermore, Sasol offers many bursary programmes. These includes the Sasol Mining Fence-line Bursary Programme which is aimed at communities that live adjacent to Sasol facilities in three province, including the Free State. Bursaries cover full-time undergraduate degree studies in Engineering, Science and Technology (not hybrid degrees) at recognised South African universities but not at UNISA. Tuition fees, a living allowance and psychosocial support are among things covered in this comprehensive bursary. Smart Skills Centre A Smart Skills Centre is to be launched in the Malutia-Phofung Local Municipality, which includes Qwaqwa, Kestell and Harrismith. The Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Free State Department of Education to establish a centre of digital excellence. CHIETA is in the process of establishing such centres all across South Africa. This initiative is part of CHIETA’s broader strategy to expand access to digital education and foster socio-economic development in rural and underserved regions. “This partnership reflects our commitment to ensuring that we make an impact by bridging 13 FREE STATE BUSINESS 2025
