Acsa helps upskill ECD practitioners
Through this programme, the company has made a meaningful contribution to the upskilling of early childhood practitioners.
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) believes the importance of the foundation phase in the education value chain cannot be overstated.
Research indicates that equitable early childhood development (ECD) provides a solid foundation for children and delivers lasting benefits that will carry them throughout their schooling.
It is partly for this reason that the South African government has set itself a target of achieving universal ECD by 2030.
Achieving this goal by 2030 will require public-private partnerships and Acsa, which has a head office in Bedfordview, has partnered with Unisa to provide a certificate Programme in Early Learning Support (PELS).
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Through this programme, the company has made a meaningful contribution to the upskilling of early childhood practitioners.
The programme is designed to address challenges in early care and education, with a key focus on the implementation of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for birth to four years old.
It also addresses the need to formalise ECD centres (ECDC) and ensure there is better accountability, oversight and ensure ECD programmes are implemented appropriately.
PELS is a programme offered by the Unisa Centre for Continuing Education and Training (CCET) in the Department of Early Childhood Education. The purpose of the collaborative intervention was to address the content and skills gap among the practitioners, most of whom started their centres as business ventures.
On November 11 at Unisa’s Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Building, 44 students graduated from the year-long programme which benefited 76 practitioners.
The CEO of Acsa, Mpumi Mpofu, said Acsa aims to make a difference in the communities the company operates in.
“We are honoured as Acsa to contribute to making a difference in the lives of children in disadvantaged communities by ensuring they have safe facilities and the support they need to reach their full potential.”
Deputy Minister of Social Development Hendrietta Bogapane-Zulu attended the graduation ceremony and commended Acsa on highlighting ECDCs for the benefit of the future of South Africa.
The deputy minister also had a special message for the graduates.
“Be vigilant and teach children good values and protect them against child abuse.”
Prudence Erasmus, a graduate of the programme and manager of Bahlengeni Day Care in Ekurhuleni, spoke of how the programme challenged her and helped bridge the skill gap she had as a practitioner.
“This is a well-rounded programme which has helped me value and respect the community I serve.
“It is also an extremely intense programme, and I am certain that the learners will benefit the most as we prepare them for the fourth industrial revolution.”
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