New Skills Mecca website to help job seekers

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - During the first quarterly Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Skills Mecca (GRSM) forum in February, coordinator Dr Florus Prinsloo officially launched the GRSM website, which has been in development since last year.

The aim of the website is to be a central point of communication where candidates who need learning opportunities can meet up with providers and investors.

Some work still needs to be done which, once completed, will see the partnership page going live.

Once this happens, service providers will be able to register and list learning opportunities, which will then be communicated by GRDM's communication unit.

All applicants will be vetted before registration to ensure that the highest standards are always met.

Delegates attended the forum both in person and online via Microsoft Teams.

This setting provides Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and its stakeholders a chance to collectively work towards achieving skills summit resolutions.

The forum was chaired by Councillor Stephen de Vries, who briefly explained the role of the Skills Mecca in relation to the National Skills Development Plan.

The Skills Mecca align with the National Development Plan 2030 vision to improve access to jobs in high demand as well as priority skills, in order to support economic growth, job creation, and social development, said De Vries. "We want to contribute to the vision of an educated and skilled workforce for South Africa."

The forum hosted two keynote speakers. Clyde Lamberts of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture outlined the department's growth and development strategy, and Tshepo Manyama, regional manager of National Youth Development Agency Western Cape, gave information about skills development plans, opportunities and needs that support youth development in the Garden Route.

Clyde Lamberts represented the Western Cape Department of Agriculture.