People living with disabilities graduated at the Gert Sibande TVET College and received their certificates in a graduation ceremony held at the Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) on Friday, 8 June.
GSDM, through the office of the executive mayor, advocated for 20 beneficiaries with disabilities within the Gert Sibande District to undergo training on computer literacy in the field of Information Technology: End User computing, NQF Level 3, which is a full year programme with Gert Sibande TVET College funded by the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICTSETA).
More than 20 people graduated with more set to complete courses in various fields of study in the next coming months.
In addition to the 20 beneficiaries, an additional 11 also graduated on the day for an Entrepreneurship Programme.
The ceremony began with the executive mayor of Msukaligwa Municipality, Mr Joseph Mkhaliphi, welcoming all and giving the graduates words of encouragement, wishing them well as they navigate the employment world.
The graduates were recruited by the Department of Public Service and Administration that are working with all relevant stakeholders, including the GSDM Disability Desk to improve the lives of people living with disabilities in GSDM.
The acting executive mayor of GSDM, Ms Busi SeKhonde, gave the keynote address and pointed out that education is the key to opening doors.
The acting district mayor was adamant that GSDM will continue to speak on behalf of people with disabilities and encourage institutions to honour the two per cent required of them for the employment of people with disability in their institutions.
She further highlighted that companies do not have an excuse now when government has played its role to ensure that the same group is trained to meet the standards of employment.
“We thank Mr Doctor Mayisela, the District Coordinator for People with disability, for a job well done,” Ms Sekhonde concluded.
