Tjeka learners’ workmanship praised by municipality

The workmanship quality of the nine unemployed young adults from Laingsburg who upgraded JJ Ellis Sports Ground has received utmost praise from Laingsburg Municipality.

These six women and three men undertook the project under the watch of Tjeka Training Matters’ training facilitators as part of the practical component of their skills training. This project provided an ideal opportunity for them to apply the theoretical knowledge that they had learnt in the classroom to attain a Construction Education and Training Authority-accredited qualification via Tjeka. 

The cloakrooms were repaired and upgraded, toilets and ceilings refurbished, and the grandstand resealed and repainted. A container ablution unit with two women’s toilets, providing a safe and dignified space for female players and spectators, was donated by Power Construction.

Power Construction funded the training course as part of the social-labour plan (SLP) associated with the mineral rights to Doornfontein quarry from where this leading construction company sources aggregates for its projects in the area.

While individuals diligently attended two months of classroom training learning the ins-and-outs of their trade, the three months spent on an actual building project working to tight deadlines and a real budget was the real test of their grit and determination to succeed in a tough industry. Needless to say, they’ve definitely got what it takes, which includes a willingness to learn and be mentored.

This project is a stellar example of the large positive impact that SLPs can achieve when all stakeholders, including government, industry and communities, collaborate in the process.