We have an Academy

Getting a valuable education and workplace experience is not something all South Africans have access to. That is why Motheo decided to start an academy that can help empower the youth.

Having practical skills to work a trade is an under utilised tool in modern day South Africa. Even though youth unemployment is a real problem, many young people don’t even know that they can learn a trade that will allow them to get jobs or become entrepreneurs in the future. This is where the Motheo Academy comes in. Having experienced the effects of unemployment in the communities Motheo has worked in, the idea of starting an academy was born out of wanting to nurture young talent. Geoffrey Kemper, an expert in skills development who has worked across the continent, was roped in to create a programme that would empower young people through constriction. “There is no denying that the old systems have a knock-on effect, limit young people’s chances of getting a break-through. We are finding a way to train young people and arm them with real skills that will allow for them to be able to create a career in construction,” he says. The academy is offering 12-month learnerships that are made up of theory and practicals to arm young people with what they need to start a career. The learnerships are accredited by the Construction Sector Education and Training Authority, which gives a recognised qualification – something many young people don’t have access to. The learnership has three phases to it – theory, simulation where the students build and rebuild in order to get introduced to the physical work in the field and the final phase where they get to work on an actual building site, gaining experience and rounding off the education they have been receiving. “We are developing a dynamic range of additional programmes to mature young people from grass-roots all the way through to professionals in the industry” he says. Henk Dippenaar, an expert in the construction field, with decade’s worth of experience works with the youth as the Master Mentor. He has worked with Motheo since the company started 20 years ago. His passion for excellence in the trade and his love for empowering young people make him the perfect person to mentor the youth at the academy. “Training these young men and women is an honour because I know what it means to have a three-year apprenticeship and what that does for the standards of work. There is a gap between the guys that were trained in my day and what is being offered now. We are hoping to bridge that gap.” The learnership comes at no cost to the young people being trained. “We are aware that most of the young people we work with cannot afford to further their studies which is why we didn’t want to put the added weight of having to worry about fees,” says Geoffrey. Over 100 young people have gone through the academy, with an estimated 1000 across the country expected to benefit from it by 2019. “This is something that will benefit not only us, but other construction companies as well as the individuals who have a qualification once they are done with Motheo. We are very excited about the prospects of this academy and about spreading the Motheo ethos of quality, honesty and doing work that affects more than just a select few,” says Geoffrey.