By Libuseng Nyaka
QWAQWA – A Maluti TVET college cellphone repairing graduate Thobile Msibi says when she saw an advert calling for students to apply, she saw an opportunity that might turn her life around.
“I did not take it for granted when I saw an advertisement calling for students to apply for cellphone repair training at Maluti TVET college. I am now ready to enter the market and open my own business with the skills I have acquired.”
Another graduate Thabiso Dlangalala said there is no reason for them to be complaining about foreigners taking up their jobs as now they have enough skills to compete in the market space.
“The skills I have acquired here put me in a better position to compete. Marketing our business is one of the best lessons I have learned. We can no longer accuse foreigners of taking our jobs even though this industry is dominated by guys from outside the country,” Dlangalala said in an interview with this publication.
The graduation was made possible by a collaboration between Maluti TVET college and Vaal University of Technology which trained the students.
Speaking at the ceremony, VUT’s Antoinette Lombard reflected on the hardships and challenges that they overcame during the training.
“This is the beginning of bigger things. I am happy that we have managed to overcome all challenges and hardship we encountered. It was not an easy journey, but we made it.”
The graduation ceremony was held at Kwetlisong on Thursday and during a business breakfast the Maluti TVET Center for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (CfERI) graduates interacted with various stakeholders in business who provided solutions and guided them to tap into the labour and business space.
Both Thabo Mofutsanyana district municipality’s Thembi Mloto and Maluti-a-Phofung local municipality’s Tiisetso Makhele promised that the entrepreneurs will be assisted with the tools of their trades.
The acting principal of Maluti TVET college Motlalepula Tsotetsi wished the graduates the best of luck and called on different stakeholders to assist the college to achieve its dream of developing entrepreneurs.
“We can only be able to develop skilled entrepreneurs who will be self-reliant, be able to bridge the gap of unemployment be creating more jobs through your support. We are one of the 21 out of 70 TVET colleges that have CfERI.”
It’s greate honored to me, by being part of this meeting