Game Changers must show for the R15 million spent, says HWSETA’s Lokwe
ALEXANDRA – An abundance of rodents and other pests within our communities is an opportunity itself, says Flick Pest Control’s Grant Rudge.
Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority has invested more than R15 million in the Afrika Tikkun Game Changers program in Alexandra.
This is a bid to transform the lives of some youth who abuse drugs.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony for the 250 ‘game changers’ at Houghton Hotel on 7 May, the organisation’s project manager for skills development planning, Luyanda Lokwe told the graduates ‘the skills we have given you in over a year of training must not go to waste.
“Make sure that this paper [certificate] does not remain just a piece of paper but must be something that you will use to open doors of success and growth in your various chosen fields of entrepreneurship, or employment for those who are not bold enough to stand on your own two feet.
“We’re not giving you these skills to prepare you only for the world of work, yes we are, but at the same time we want you to venture into entrepreneurship and be employment creators yourselves.”
Saying education was a life-long career, Lokwe implored the graduates to continue to learn and acquire multi-skills as this was the way of the future.
“If one skill does not work, you still have something to fall back on. Gone are the days of reliance on a solo skill. You now need to be a jack of all trades and a master of them all. We spent so much money, R50 million on this program alone, so you need to show and prove to us that this money was well spent by taking yourselves forward. We will support you every step of the way on your growth journey.”
Grant Rudge, sales manager at Flick Environmental Services, a partner of the City of Johannesburg and Afrika Tikkun in the disbursement of skills, said he hoped the pest control knowledge gained through the training at the company’s academy would be put to good use.
“The environment and the circumstances around you are a perfect opportunity for those in the pest control industry, especially with the abundance of rodents and other pests in our communities, you can never go hungry or be without a job,” Rudge concluded.
