Skills development is vital to eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. This is recognised universally by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where SDG 4 highlights the need to “substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills”. In South Africa, it is emphasised in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, there is an entire Act on it and it is one of the priority elements on the B-BBEE scorecard. With over 1 in 3 of the 10 million aspiring labour force, ages 15 to 34, unable to find work, it can be seen why skills development warrants being so high on the priority list. An article by Triple E Training, an education and training provider in South Africa, explains that:

“Ultimately, a country’s prosperity depends on how many of its people work, and how productive they are, which in turn rests on the skills they have and how effectively those skills are used.”

South African government has ensured that skills development demands attention from both public and private spheres alike. But what is skills development, really?

In the same article by Triple E Training, we learn that skills development involves equipping the workforce with the skills required for jobs that exist currently, as well as those of the future. This is a complex matter, requiring forward-thinking and innovation. However, their solution lies in increasing the capacity of our workforce to learn new technologies and roles. This begins with building a foundation of literacy and numeracy, which unlock the potential to think critically and adapt to new environments.  

Your participation in the skills development of the country is three-fold. Firstly, supporting Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres means that you are building the capabilities of the future generation at the time that is most critical to their cognitive, physical, literacy and socio-emotional development. You are ensuring that the young generation of today will have the ability to learn and adapt in the future. Secondly, you are equipping members of the current workforce with skills that will never “expire”; the skills required to empower the future generation. Thirdly, Beyond simply equipping both current and future generations with critical skills, you are changing lives:

“I will make sure my child will go to that crèche”, explained Anna, a parent who has witnessed how an early education opened up opportunities for her first child and plans to send her second to Philile.

“Philile gave us the opportunity to go back to school – I didn’t think I would be able to go to school after having my children, but now I have studied and qualified because of Philile”, expressed Irene, one of the ECD Practitioners at Philile Diepsloot.

You are part of the reason South Africa will have a capable, fulfilled workforce in the future! You are part of the reason South Africa will thrive! Donate now and equip the current and future workforce with the skills they need to thrive and contribute to the prosperity of South Africa!