On Monday 06 February 2023, District Apostle J Kriel opened Masakhe’s Skills Training Centre in Parkwood Central Church Hall.

The District Apostle used the opportunity to introduce himself as the Masakhe Foundation Chairperson to the group. Thereafter, he explained to the group that there are two options when you are unemployed:

-Wait for someone to give you a job or

-Do something to get out of the situation.

In order to do something, one needs an opportunity. He mentioned that this group have been given their opportunity and the District Apostle encouraged the group to do the best with the opportunity they have been given.

Bishop Gregory February, CEO of Masakhe, also addressed the group and wished them well with their respective lessons.

The "Skills Unlimited" project was developed as a component to enable young adults to gain skills enabling them to become employed. 120 young people before COVID 19 have already learnt a skill as part of the training programme. 72 of them are already earning their living with the skill they have acquired. Due to the positive results and the high demand, the new training centre was launched in Parkwood on 6 February 2023.

The Masakhe Foundation received permission from the New Apostolic Church South Africa to convert the Parkwood Central church building into a "Skills Unlimited Training Centre". After budget approval for 2022 with the donor NAK Karitativ and local municipal approval of structural plans, work at the Parkwood church commenced in October 2022.

As part of the reconstruction, benches had to be removed and transported to Tafelsig where it is currently stored. This allowed for classrooms to be built in sections of the church where training will take place. Renovations concluded in January 2023.

As part of the six apprenticeship trades of hairdressing, woodworking, tiling and paving, plumbing and sanitary work and computer use, the young people not only receive professional skills but also job-application training. With the start of a regular life, they also learn important social rules of conduct for a successful transition to working life. The duration of the course ranges from 6 weeks to 9 weeks.

When selecting trainees, care is taken to ensure that no one is excluded from the programme, due to a lack of school experience. It is the young people who have more difficult opportunities on the job market that are to be promoted. The trainers originally come from the townships or have taken part in previous programmes. They therefore know the challenges and can provide the best possible support.

Registration took place on Monday 30 January 2023 and was already oversubscribed before the end of the day. The courses will take place over the next 6-9 weeks.

For more information, please visit www.nak-karitativ.de