This is a partnership of the Department of Higher Education and Training with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services (merSETA).The academy aims to provide training to skills development to the youth of the community and also provide new career and entrepreneurial opportunities.All students will qualify for study grants from merSETA and will be trained by facilitators at the Ekurhuleni East TVET College at no cost.
The academy is accredited by merSETA, therefore students will graduate from the course with a recognised qualification. “This is a great addition to our course offerings at the college. “We are pleased to be part of Samsung’s initiative and look forward to seeing the students succeed,” says Helen Sibande, principal at the Ekurhuleni TVET College. The first 20 students have been identified and awarded study grants; this number is expected to rise over the next year.
“At Samsung, part of our strategy is to focus on improving education in line with the mission to improve people’s lives and create a better society,” says Pitso Kekana, Head of Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship, Samsung Africa. “Our goal is to reach a point where most of our products in Africa are developed on the continent, and the starting point for this is to offer access to the necessary training. “This is why we are excited to be launching the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Academy, which we hope will help develop a very necessary set of skills among the youth,” says Kekana.