Community Education Programme (CEP)

Skills Training Programme

In an effort to promote and encourage continuing learning opportunities for the disadvantaged, the Skills Training Programme provides training in a variety of marketable skills, which seeks to develop skills that can aid in the creation of home-based production of goods and services and employment generation.

From its inception the programme had a two-fold function. Firstly, it provided critical domestic support for low-income households by providing them with skills to engage in home-based production of goods and services which reduce household expenditures and allow for the more effective use of scarce financial resources. This was done whilst simultaneously improving their standards of living. Secondly, the programme was employment oriented, providing training in a variety of marketable skills  which provided unemployed and under-employed persons with equal opportunities to prepare themselves to compete for jobs or  to develop the skills to create a sustainable self-employment initiative.

Objectives:

  • To decrease the level of unskilled persons in local communities.
  • To improve the chances of the unemployed to find employment in existing organisations or by creating employment opportunities for themselves.

The programme provides support for the transformation initiative by paying special attention to education and training for the generation of sustainable employment opportunities to alleviate poverty and promote equity and harmony in the society.

The Skills Training Programme from its’ inception in the 1960s has always maintained a rigid human and family focus by especially targeting householders, low income families, rural and urban poor, dropouts in the school system, and the vulnerable and “at risk” in our society.

The criteria for the design and development of the Skills Training Programme are as follows.

  1. the state of the country’s social and economic landscape;
  1. the availability of resources at the level of the communities to sustain the programme;
  1. the existing or potential marked demands for specific goods and services;
  1. requests from groups, organisations or communities for specific types of training; and
  1. Data on the unavailability of particular types of marketable skills.

As much as the programme has always been and still is accessible to all regardless of gender, race, educational attainment, social or economic status, religious or political persuasion, the prime target remains the unskilled, unemployed and/or underemployed.

Courses have a duration of (60) contact hours at the Introductory/ Basic Level practical and fifteen hours for personal development.

The programme provides training in the following subject areas:

a. Technical/Vocational Courses The programme is intended to provide a response to any deficiency or absence of reliable incomes that householders are likely to experience while, at the same time,  improving their standards of living.

b. Personal Development Courses

c. Handicraft Courses

d. Entrepreneurial (Micro-enterprise) Development/Management Courses – This programme provides training in a variety of marketable skills that allow unemployed and under-employed persons equal opportunities to compete for jobs or to develop the skills to create a sustainable self-employment initiative.

The programme is accessible to all regardless of;

–        Age
–        Gender
       Race
       Educational Attainment
       Social or Economic Status
       Religion or Political Persuasion

All courses are sponsored by Community Development and are free of charge.

Programme Distribution

The distribution of courses in the nine Community Development administrative districts is determined by the following factors.

  • Population size
  • unemployment levels in specific areas
  • demand for particular goods and services
  • demands for specific types of training
  • assessed needs
  • requests from groups and other community organisations

Certification and Assessment:

Assessment

The Facilitators, in collaboration with Community Development’s Training Unit, set parameters for the assessment of trainees.

Certification

Participants having completed ALL the modules, in addition to attaining a 65% pass mark on all assignments a Certificate of Completion would be awarded.

At the completion of their respective course, participants are awarded a Certificate of Participation