We aim to share knowledge, provide training and foster a culture of continuous learning during all engagements in the communities we serve thereby not only breaking the cycle of poverty but to equip people with skills to become productive members of society. Africa will play a major role in the future and the people have to be prepared for their developing role.
At the Premier’s Council on Skills (PCS)- a consultative forum that coordinates skills development, held in November 2022, then Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, delivered her opening address with “Without a growing pool of talent, we cannot hope to take full advantage of the immense potential of our economy. This is why the Department of Economic Development and Tourism works hard with various partners and stakeholders across all levels of government, as well as international partners, to invest in the right qualifications, the right skills and the right experience for jobs available now and in the future, so we can create more opportunities for young people.”
It was fitting that the PCS was held at The Nex-Indawo Yethu, in the Bavarian House that offers an array of skills and training initiatives in Delft. Here, HOPE Cape Town shares knowledge, provides training and fosters a culture of continuous learning during all engagements in the communities we serve, thereby not only breaking the cycle of poverty, but also equipping people with skills to become productive members of society. Africa is the continent that will see the most growth over the next decades and is poised to become a major global economic powerhouse in the world’s urban future, we must invest in our people now.
Currently, Dual Vocational Training with German companies and South Africa TVET Colleges are in planning.
The initial training programme in Freight Forwarding & Logistics was launched in 2022 by the Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The programme incorporates the German Dual System and integrates theoretical learning in Bavarian House at The Nex-Indawo Yethu (one day per week) with practical experience within the workplace (four days per week), at the trainee’s place of employment i.e. logistics companies.
Equipping youth with the skills and encouragement to reach their full potential is one of the cornerstones of HOPE Cape Town’s mission. When dropping out of school or even finishing matric, often there is a gap between what a college would require to be a successful student and the situation that a typical township learner can bring to the table with his academic qualification.
Made possible by a global grant from Rotary International, the Entrepreneurial Skills Development Programme provided by HOPE Cape Town aims to equip young individuals with skills needed to either start an own small business, continue studying at a college or increasing their chances of employability.
Bridging the gap between unemployment and self-employment requires training and necessary skills – often not accessible to many youth in the Delft community.
The three month experiential learning programme is a combination of personal and business skills development. Life skills requires practice through different instruments of learning that often demonstrate the skill of problem solving, creativity, communication, self-control and decision making.
Other skills acquired included effective communication, critical thinking, time management, team building, active listening and business management. To graduate from the programme, participants are required to develop a business plan and showcase their business concepts.
At the request of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, this ‘live training’ pilot took place at The Nex-Indawo Yethu during 2023 and 2024 with sixteen participants from six TVET colleges in the Western Cape. In cooperation with Hub4Africa and Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft e.V. (BBW e.V.), the aim was to provide support for digital learning and to train TVET lecturers in the blended learning format with the topics: How do students learn today, and What to consider when creating digital content, through a strengths and skills development workshop.
HOPE Cape Town currently works with Life Orientation teachers from the Metro North Education District in cooperation with the Department of Economics and Tourism as well as the Department of Education in the Western Cape. This two-year skills development project is in collaboration with Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft e.V. (BBW e.V.) and addresses the gap between the education system and the labour market needs through:
The Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) programme is aimed at youth between the ages of 18 and 25 years who have recently completed Grade 12 and are still undecided about their future in terms of further studies, or employment and career opportunities. The STEP programme is a three-pronged approach:
Entrepreneurship training enables youth to embark on a holistic business education journey from incubating a business idea to starting, running and growing their own business.
The educational programmes as a whole, address the workplace challenges by exposure to leadership practices in participating enterprises that promote teamwork, participation, continuous learning and flexibility.
The Workplace Challenge is a focused side intervention aimed at actively encouraging and supporting negotiated workplace change towards enhancing productivity and world-class competitiveness, best operating practices, continuous improvement and manufacturing while resulting in job creation. The key objectives of the programme include:
The project management component assists participants to develop plans, to work according to plan, to review plans, to take corrective actions, and to celebrate achievements. It also teaches participants about consistent, effective and regular communication and to start off on the right foot by having a purpose and a vision for the transformation of their work attitude and place.
Any enterprise from micro to small or medium, is equipped with the tools and skills to implement best practices and process innovations. Participants will benefit from mutual sharing of experiences and lessons learnt by each. The coaching process focuses on developing capacity within the enterprise to understand operational problems and implement a continuous improvement culture and solutions by themselves.
Whatever your focus, there are a wealth of opportunities designed to fuel Africa’s agricultural transformation. Improving food security, enhancing agricultural productivity, or promoting climate-smart farming, our training programmes are designed to empower entrepreneurs, urban farmers and individuals who want to drive positive change in Africa’s agricultural sector through three different methods, namely – traditional community gardening, hydroponics, and aquaponics. Although still in their early stages, these tech-driven solutions are poised to transform food systems in our increasingly challenging environment.
Together with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and experts in the private sector, our two-year training programme equips Agri graduates to Agripreneurs in hydroponics and other agri ventures to solve the dilemma of feeding a growing population on a warming planet.
The community garden allotments at The Nex-Indawo Yethu present an opportunity to challenge the status quo. Our community-centred approach to urban agriculture will contribute to increased food security and improved access to nutritious food. The provision of vegetable garden training as well as the resources required to create and maintain the allotments promotes a more inclusive model that instantly benefits the neighbourhood.
The harvested produce will be distributed into local markets, community food kitchens, school feeding programmes and directly to residents. This ensures that the community gardens contribute to the well-being and food security of the communities.
Implementing this approach requires HOPE Cape Town to reshape Delft’s informal business and marketing strategies to align with the socio-economic conditions of this low-income area. Through sustainable practices, community engagement and education and training, it is possible to nurture a future in which food justice becomes a reality in Delft.
Youth are unemployed due to lack of qualifications (high drop-out rate in schools) and lack of skills required for job opportunities. HOPE Cape Town addresses skills mismatches by supporting the skills supply pipeline with successful job training programmes and diverse campaigns that influence young people to recognize their natural talents thereby making it easier to share, collaborate, and create new services, products and brands that revolutionize the local economy. The beauty of these campaigns is their simplicity and how they inspire young minds to stretch beyond their comfort zones. Recent winning campaigns held focused on the retail and wellness industries.
More to look forward to in 2025: Mining; Aviation and Public Speaking.
The Ems-Achse initiative is to attract skilled workers to live, learn, and work in this naturally beautiful region of northwest Germany which is home to world-renowned giant companies and large businesses.
This project is for qualified (red seal) artisans such as Mechanical Fitters, Fitter & Turners, Electricians, Carpenters, Welders, or Motor Mechanics who have achieved N1 & N2 theory at a South African TVET-College and have either a Technical Matric and Trade Certificate, or a Trade or Occupational Certificate.
The pilot project started in September 2024 with eighteen participants learning the German language and integration course. Their one-year journey of living and working for three partner companies in the engineering field in Germany will start in May 2025. The employers will provide support with financial planning, administration, integration in society and any additional support needed by the South African artisans. A further expected outcome from this pilot project is to facilitate the efficient transfer of knowledge for the benefit of the artisans and their places of work and training. This could include best practices, project insights, technical know-how and industry trends.
Since 2015, The HOPE Cape Town Trust has supported the Tygerberg Hospital School through funding the salary of a Xhosa teacher who assists isiXhosa speaking learners at the school which is located in the Tygerberg Hospital.
Many children who spend long periods in hospital without any stimulation, miss out on schooling and risk falling behind their peers during their hospital stay. Some learners receive tuition in their beds, while those who are mobile are collected by the teachers from the wards in the morning and returned after the school programme.
It is a know fact that learning in your home language promotes a smooth transition between home and school as learners get more involved in the learning process and speeds up the development on basic literacy skills.
Since the introduction of an isiXhosa teacher, both caregivers and children have reported that this has had a major impact on their ability to stay up to date with their school work during their admission.
HOPE Cape Town, together with KIDCRU (an HIV Research unit at Tygerberg Hospital) facilitates a programme for international medical students, a unique elective because of the variety of community medicine learning opportunities the students are exposed to. Students are exposed to the range of HIV care from a primary clinic to specialized academic in-patient care.
Click here to read more about the programme.
Over the years HOPE Cape Town has benefitted from the help of countless volunteers. The programme offers individuals the opportunity to get in-depth first-hand experience in the various aspects of the operations within an NPO, as well as knowledge in the field of HIV and child health related issues.
They commit 3-12 months of their time and assist the organization in service delivery while providing provided insight, knowledge and resources as each volunteer has their own expertise in their specific areas of industry.
Click here to read more about our volunteer opportunities.
HOPE Cape Town doctors are accredited external lecturers for Stellenbosch University and official medical officers at Tygerberg Hospital.
Staff received regular training workshops and policy updates specific to their areas of expertise. While the HOPE doctors and occupational therapists attend various industry webinars, conferences including UCT paedatric GP updates, neurodevelopmental and HIV updates.
First Aid training is also provided to all staff.
We welcome visitors to our various places of work – from Blikkiesdorp to The Nex-Indawo Yethu campus.
Students, donors, volunteers, and also tourists are welcomed to pay a visit and learn more about our work. If you are interested in visiting us, please email trust@hopecapetown.org
Anyone working in the Health/HIV field needs to become a comprehensive care giver, advisor, educator and counsellor in the diverse cultural and social contexts of South Africa. They need to be skilled in assisting in the different aspects of a healthy life: physical, psychological, social, financial, educational and spiritual.
On-going training and development is important for all our staff members, but especially our HOPE Community Health Workers, most of whom were previously unemployed and had no access to tertiary education. We believe that our extensive training programme across various platforms sets HOPE Cape Town apart from others in the field. It is the policy of HOPE Cape Town to employ people from within the target community and to give them the necessary training to become the HIV and healthy lifestyle “expert” in their community.
Ongoing training for all of our Community Health Workers is facilitated by our HOPE doctor and invited outside experts. Training takes place on a bi-monthly basis and covers a wide range of topics which are relevant to their work, including HIV/TB, general health literacy, and life skills. This training enables our CHWs to remain up to date with the latest developments and deliver the best possible service to their communities.
