By: Nomatshawe Bangani
26 disabled learners graduated from the Guest Resources Services learnership programme and received their certificates at a graduation ceremony held in Amalinda on Tuesday. The learners who reside in communities across East London, successfully completed a 1 year learnership programme, graduating with an NQF level 3 Information Technology End-User Computing accredited by SETA.
Quest Resource Services organisation was established in 1996. Its initial focus was on life skills training but soon became an accredited provider that offers different NQF qualifications. The organisation utilises funding provided from government and private sectors to fund accredited learnership programmes and work placement for abled and disabled learners country wide.
CEO Dr Wilma Guest-Mouton said ¨Through SAQA and SETA we became an accredited service provider and four years ago, we received funding to train disabled persons in the Eastern Cape. We have 14 accredited qualifications, 6 in Wholesale and Retail Seta, Services Seta, MICT Seta, Agri-Seta and Education and Training Seta. Our main focus is to train people through learnerships instilling them with practical experience while they study¨ she explained.
The learnership consists of both theory and a workplace component which places each learner with hands on experience as well as the technical skill. Guest-Mouton said as though they have been fortunate to get assistance from local clinics, schools and hospitals for workplace experience, they still needed more local businesses to open up their doors to their learners.
Jenni-Lee Stride a facilitator at Guest Resource Services said the learnership which is ran across the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal is open to all persons with disability between the ages of 18-29 with grade 10-12 qualification.
One learner who graduated, Akhona Ponti from Mdantsane expressed gratitude at having been enrolled in the learnership programme. He said as a blind learner his journey throughout the learnership came with its own challenges. He explained how as a blind person working with a computer was challenging for him but through special software that the learnership provided he was able to complete his qualification.
¨I hope that businesses and individuals in South Africa will open up employment opportunities for us, to enable us to use our qualifications and showcase our skills instead of sitting at home and being discouraged¨ he said.