Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) from Kouga were introduced to new opportunities as training providers in a workshop by the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) at Jeffreys Bay this week.
The workshop, an initiative of the SETA and Kouga Municipality, took place at the Newton Hall on Thursday and was targeted at business entities operating in the service industry.
The scope of the Services SETA covers entities in the areas of cleaning, hiring, labour recruitment, property, project management, marketing, personal care and general business.
Kouga Local Economic Development Portfolio Councillor Bryan Dhludhlu said the workshop took place at a good time as the window period for grant funding by this SETA opened on 21 August and will close on 19 September.
“The aim of the intervention is to get SMMEs to see themselves as potential big role players in skills development and training. The benefits have been enjoyed by, predominantly, big institutions with big brands for a long time,” he said.
Dhludhlu explained that the municipality falls under the Local Government SETA and would, therefore, be limited in terms of the training scope it would be able to cover.
To mitigate this, a partnership with the relevant SETA was necessary to reach out to those sectors in need of the services.
Different SETAs exist for different industries and were formed to give effect to the Skills Development Act of 1998.
Their purpose is to develop skills for the South African workforce by providing workplace training and placement for first-time work seekers, provide quality training for employees to improve their skills and to improve employment prospects for the previously disadvantaged through training and education.