Assisting in Bridging the Skills GapIt is Dube TradePort Corporation's intention to play a pro-active role in bridging the divide between acquiring a formal education and entering the workplace which is currently blighting the growth and development of graduates today. By offering select graduates a variety of learning and skills development opportunities the organisation hopes to contribute directly to the improved integration between formal education and the work environment. Exhibiting at the annual three-day Mhanyakude Youth Expo held in Jozini, in the far northern reaches of KwaZulu-Natal recently, the organisation unveiled a number of new initiative designed to assist in closing the skills gap in the Province. The event attracted some 10 000 high school learners and unemployed graduates keen to take-up opportunities that would assist in shaping their careers. The theme of Mhanyakude Youth Expo 2013 was 'Creating Tangible Value' and Dube TradePort Corporation shared with learners and graduates the various career opportunities and financial assistance programmes it offers, generating enthusiasm and hope in minds of participants. In 2012, it was reported that 600 000 graduates in South Africa were unable to find employment in order to put into practice their investment in tertiary education, largely because of the yawning gap between university and the workplace. Dube TradePort Corporation's Learning and Skills Development Opportunities activities comprise the following components: Financial Assistance and Vocational Learning Programme:
Financial Assistance Programme: Dube TradePort Corporation has initiated a pilot financial assistance programme geared towards assisting in addressing the country-wide shortage of engineering professionals. The profession demands the attainment of a four-year degree, a costly tuition process and one which, as a result, precludes many historically disadvantaged learners from studying towards such academic qualifications. The organisation initiated the pilot programme in 2013, selecting a number of University of KwaZulu-Natal students to participate. Dube TradePort Corporation is set to grow its financial assistance programme in 2014 and aims to assist many more deserving students from both the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Durban University of Technology's engineering faculties. Skills Development Programme: An existing skills development programme, jointly co-ordinated by Dube TradePort Corporation and the Owen Sithole Agricultural College, provides students the opportunity to enjoy hands-on experiential learning, which complements their studies in such fields as seed collection, plant propagation, growing crops in a greenhouse environment, nursery activities and alien clearing procedures. This experiential learning opportunities programme is activated during the typical vacation periods of further education institutions. Qutom Farms operates a state-of-the-art greenhouse and packing facility within Dube AgriZone. Given that a priority in South Africa is to ensure food security, the state-of-the-art infrastructure available at Dube AgriZone makes this a most fertile environment in which to expose students, using on-site expertise to instil in their minds new crop cultivation methodologies. Here, under the expert stewardship of senior staff and the farmer, students gain practical farming knowledge and valuable insights to the operation of a highly advanced facility. Dube AgriLab - Apprenticeships - The organisation currently boasts a number of qualified personnel active in trades which lend themselves to such skills transfer activities. They are capable of assisting in the training and monitoring of participants, evaluating the work they complete. In essence, the Dube TradePort Corporation's Learning and Skills Development Opportunities activities will make a telling impact and assist significantly in beginning the long-term task of closing existing skills gaps in areas around the precinct, in KwaZulu-Natal and in South Africa as a whole.
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