Economic Opportunities
(1) Whether his Department has conducted a skills audit for Atlantis; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) what is his Department doing to invest in (a) skills development and (b) training for the people of Atlantis?
1 The Department of Economic Development and Tourism together with the Department of Trade and Industry have conducted a skills audit for the Saldanha Industrial Development Zone. This included the skills implication and recommendation for West Coast District and surrounding areas.
2. The Western Cape Government has a range of skills development programmes to ensure that young people are able to increase their skills profile.
As part of the West Coast pilot initiative, over 1000 young people participated in the Occupational Readiness Training in the 2014/15 financial year.
The Occupation Readiness Programme has provided access to further training opportunities through the trades and occupation. It seeks to improve the employability by equipping them with the necessary soft skills they need to enter the workplace.
Successful graduates of this programme can complete further training at the West Coast Public Technical Vocational Education and Training College. The West Coast College has six satellite campuses across the West Coast Municipal District, including Malmesbury and Atlantis.
As part of the Artisan Development Programme, graduates are also eligible to complete their Trade Related National Technical Certificate to become a qualified artisan.
Through the Work & Skills Program, 68 learners have received valuable on the job experience at Hisense in Atlantis.
