A Trailblazer: “The Job Is Yours!”
The year was 2011, and times were tight in South Africa. Magrieta had applied for a job with a bank knowing that her chances were slight – she would be one of hundreds of applicants for the coveted positions. Was she hearing right? She, Magrieta was being offered the job! She forced herself to focus on what the Human Resource officer was now asking her:
“Where did you do your computer training, Magrieta?”
“At the SkillWise training centre near the bus rank. Why do you ask?”
“Well, that computer test we set you is used all over the country with every applicant for a job at the bank. We use our own test so we can be sure that all applicants are evaluated against a common standard. Normally, applicants average around 50% for this test, but you achieved 95%! That is exceptional! How long was this training course you did? And were you familiar with computers before you did it?”
“No, not at all. It was the first time I had touched a computer – I felt really nervous at first, but the facilitator was kind and encouraged us to keep trying – so I did. After the first week or so I didn’t find it so hard any more. The whole course took me around three months to complete.”
Magrieta was one of the first learners to complete the SkillWise Digital Skills training course. She coped well at the bank and studied part time to improve her qualifications. Since then, she has advanced steadily up through the ranks and now holds a position of considerable responsibility in management.
Since then, Magrieta’s story has been repeated many times over at SkillWise.
Changed Lives!
Close, but One Thing More was Needed
Hear Patience’s story: “I was getting job opportunities but they all required computer skills. I found an advertisement on Facebook and saw comments and posts about the SkillWise computer course. At first, I was very scared, and shaking. Using a keyboard wasn’t easy, but within a week I was able to type using the computer from the start to the end. My life has changed. I am an Assistant Office Manager. I am using the skills of the computer at this very company.”
The Certificate that Opened Doors for Valentin
Valentin had lots of ambitions for her life, but the doors of opportunity were staying shut for her:
“My life was more complicated than now. I was looking forward to a decent job, buying a car, upgrading myself and being able to pay school fees. When I received my [SkillWise] Certificate I found a job as an Office Administration Assistant. I was above the moon and amazed. I asked people to come around to have a look at my Certificate to [see how they could] improve their own lives. It is easy to pay my kid’s school fees now.”
Getting out of the Unemployment Trap
Roughly half of young people in South Africa are unemployed. The longer you are unemployed, the more difficult it becomes to find a job; many people eventually stop trying, but Thandazile was one who didn’t give up on her hopes:
“I was unemployed for 6 years and saw an advert for SkillWise (digital skills training) during December 2020, and I was interested and enrolled in January 2021. It wasn’t easy, but I learned so much. I thank SkillWise, because after two months I got a job at a very good company. I am proud to say that I now own a house. My kids are attending a good school and I am very happy today.”
And reaching for the skies!
Andisiwe has her own success story:
“After completing my [SkillWise] course, I found a job and presented my Certificate to the Academy. I am working at a Training Academy as a Short Course Office Administrator. I am earning more than I expected, and I have purchased an expensive big house of my own.”
Adding Value
It’s one thing to get a job, but how do you make sure you keep it? It is a sorry fact that in South Africa 40% of young people who get their first job do not last in it for more than a year. What goes wrong? Are they underqualified? Complacent? Too distracted by their mobiles? The SkillWise facilitators encourage our graduates to make sure that they are the ones who stand out in the crowd, who are always ready to offer help beyond the basic demands of the job, and who show that they have practical skills and not just head knowledge. Here are a few of their stories:
Promoted and permanent
Minenhle tells her story:
“I applied for an internship and worked at a company for a year as an Administration Assistant doing presentations, and working in Excel. A month after the internship ended, I was contacted by the same company and offered a [permanent] position. I was promoted to Finance Clerk due to my dedication during the internship.”
Always a winner!
Precious found that her SkillWise digital Skills training had equipped he to make a special contribution to her new company. “The company introduced a new system and I was the first one to figure it out and assist the others.”
Precious recommended the course to 20 friends and relatives, and is proud of the fact that many of them have jobs now as well.
Be the One who Excels!
Sindisiwe found that it was her skill in spreadsheets and Excel that helped her to stand out from the crowd:
“The company I am currently working for is more into nursing. I am helping with the administration because among all the employees there, I am the only person that has the [necessary] skills in filing and Excel.”
A Friend in need
This is one of our favorite stories, and at the end, we will ask you to decide who is the hero of the story – we think there are three possible heroes!
Following the Covid lockdown, many people had lost jobs and were financially destitute. As Mondo was walking to his centre in Soweto one morning, he noticed a young man sitting, looking pretty dejected, on the curb near a petrol station. The picture Mondo carried away in his head continued to trouble him throughout the day: What was happening in the life of that young man to make him look so down? The next day, Mondo saw him there again, so this time he stopped to enquire what he was doing there. Mondo learned that Gabriel* had come from a rural area, where his family were destitute. He had sold his cell phone, his only possession, to get the money to travel into town in the hope that he might find work. He had walked and knocked, and smiled and asked, and knocked again, until he was exhausted and discouraged. No honest work was to be found on the harsh streets of Johannesburg or Soweto. He could see only a hopeless future stretching out before him, with no way of helping the family he had left behind, waiting hopefully. Most painful of all was knowing that he, their only chance, was letting them down.
Mondo asked Gabriel if he would like to come with him and do some computer training at his centre? He had received sponsorship to pay for a few indigent learners, and Gabriel could do the training for free. It didn’t take long for Gabriel to say “Yes!” Mondo helped him find somewhere to live while he did the training. Gabriel proved to be a quick learner. He completed the training within a couple of months and very quickly got an entry-level job as a teacher assistant at a local school.
A few months later, Gabriel contacted Mondo to tell him that when he arrived at the school, he went to the admin office and asked if they would like some help with spreadsheets. They jumped at the offer, and he was now the go-to person for managing student results! At the end of the school year, he phoned Mondo again to say that he was on his way home with food and gifts for his family.
Who was the hero? Certainly, Mondo for bothering to stop and to care enough to lift Gabriel up. We think Gabriel was a hero for grabbing the opportunity and making the most of it, while still remembering his commitment to his family back home. We think there is a third hero in this story – the donor, who gave sponsorship money that enabled Mondo to offer the training for nothing.
We wish there were more donors and more Mondos out there, as we know that there are many more Gabriels needing that helping hand!
(* Not his real name)
An impossible standard or the magic formula?
“No Way! You must be joking! You’ve got us wrong – we are 30% people!” These are fairly predictable responses when students are told that the required standard for progression in the SkillWise digital skills training is 80%. Why do we set the standard so high? Is it even reasonable to expect so much of people?
We asked some of our learners how they had experienced this, and we think you will find their responses revealing. Listen to a few:
Ongeziwe: At first, I knew nothing about computers. I didn’t even know what, a ‘mouse’ was! I was also shocked when we were told that the progress mark was 80%. But I soon learned that with hard work and by trying again until I reached the goal, I could succeed. I am very excited to have done so well at the end of this course.
Ziphozihle: Yes, it was so difficult, and because I am an introvert, I usually don’t open up or ask for help but as time went by my communication improved. It was a great feeling when I hit that 80%. I can still remember that day like it was yesterday! I was at a point in my life where I was ready to give up, but I am proud to say that this is in the past as I now look forward to the next day.
Dimkatso: I felt so good when reaching 80%, and I told myself that I can do even better, which happened. After doing the training, I taught my brother and friends who needed help with computer skills.
Interviewer: As you made progress and achieved the 80% pass mark, how did you feel?
Zizipho: I got very excited, I felt confident and started to really read and understand the questions.
Nokuthula: Amazing experience. I feel more confident about finding a job now.
Madikelekwa: I felt good and increasingly confident as I continued through the course.
Did you pick out the common theme in what these learners had to say?
Why do you think we set the pass mark at 80%? What difference would it make if we had set it at 30%?
Vivian’s story
When early childhood development teacher, Vivian, realised her school was to be shut down during Covid, she decided to make use of the free time she now had on her hands. She had read about the SkillWise digital skills course being run in nearby Senekal and told her mother that she might do that. Her mother’s response was “You will never manage that!” That was just the challenge that Vivian needed and under her breath she promised herself: “I am going to show her!”
At first, she found the course hard, but soon realised that, with perseverance, she could pull her marks up to the required 80%. A few days later, she approached the facilitator and asked, “Is it possible to get 100% on this course?”
“Well, I suppose it is, although I do not know of anyone who has actually done that,” came the reply.
“Well, I am going to be the first!”
The SkillWise database tells the story of how Vivian achieved just that! She took her time working her way through the first module, sometimes repeating a quiz as many as fifty times before she was hitting her goal of 100%. By the time she was into the second module, she needed to try only about five times. For the rest of the course, she was getting her 100% on the first or second try! Sure enough, Vivian completed the course with an average of 100%! (Since then, a few other high fliers have also managed this remarkable achievement.)
When contacted recently, Vivian was back in her teaching job, but saying that her dream is to start her own computer centre in her community. Go Vivian!
And What do the Trainers Think?
Several thousand young people have now done the SkillWise digital skills training course, and we think the outcomes have been exceptional, but we needed to know what trainers who are familiar with conventional training approaches thought about the unique approach to learning that SkillWise has adopted. Two experienced trainers agreed to work through the SkillWise training and to apply it in their own contexts. They agreed to let us use their comments and interviews:
Interview with Gilliam Noeth, March 2024
Rob: Hi Gilliam, please do tell us a bit about yourself and why it is that you are interested in the SkillWise digital skills course.
Gilliam: Thanks Rob. I have really been enjoying working through your course since I was introduced to it by Jeremy S. He’s a big fan! I have a background in computers myself, although I am currently employed as a Dominee in the Anchor of Hope church in Port Elizabeth. I have been running computer skills training courses in the church for a few years now, and I must say I have been feeling pretty frustrated.
Rob: Why is that Gilliam? Is there a lack of interest?
Gilliam: No, not at all. The people are keen. The problem is that they start with such different levels of ability. Some are already computer literate and they are just wanting to brush up on skills. Others have never touched a computer before. They are frankly terrified of it at first. Also, many are battling with the basic English literacy required. And yet, teaching in the traditional way as I have been doing, everyone has to progress at the same rate – they are marching in lockstep – moving forward in time together – some frustrated to move so slowly, others battling to keep up.
I was fascinated to work through your SkillWise training program and to realise that it has completely overcome this problem. It is brilliant! Everyone is free to do their own thing – to fly or to crawl – whatever makes them happy! I can’t wait to start using your program in my own training centre. It will also free me up to do other things. I can see that there is no need to be hovering over the students every minute.
Rob: So, you see potential for using our program, even though you are well qualified to be a trainer of this type of material yourself?
Gilliam: Absolutely! I think it is really exciting. I believe there are probably hundreds of thousands of people in South Africa who would benefit from doing your program, Rob! It’s also exciting that you are launching the SkillWise Go version for folk to do online at home, and the price you are asking is very reasonable, especially when you have that new portal set up to enable folk to pay as they go. That is an exciting innovation too.
Rob: Thanks Gilliam! Really good to have you on board. I look forward to hearing how the training works out in your centre.
Perspective from Ruan Cilliers – September 2022
The following comments came from Ruan Cilliers, a facilitator in the Eastern Cape who was trying out the SkillWise digital skills training for the first time. He had been running conventional computer training in a remote rural area for some time and was aware how difficult students found it to learn these basic skills, and how many of them became so discouraged that they gave up. He was amazed at the difference he was now seeing as students applied themselves to the SkillWise training:
“We don’t need another course in South Africa to show the previously disadvantaged that they will fail again. They need hope that is tangible, and failing at another course will just further amplify the hopelessness that many South Africans experience. Especially those who feel that they have been left behind, and catching up feels like it is impossible for many.
SkillWise (offers) a computer literacy course, built on mastery, for the average student who has lost hope in the future. It is broken down into smaller modules, with the opportunity to rewrite as many times as is needed, at no extra cost, with an encouraging tutor. This is the magic formula, and we saw the impact of this the moment we switched from (our previous training) to SkillWise.
Hope is growing daily in our students since joining SkillWise. It is amazing to witness students mastering a skill and getting better day by day, because hope is now finally tangible.”
Hope that is tangible
When learners have finished the SkillWise digital skills program, what do they do next? We asked a few of them and were fascinated at the range of answers they gave:
Zizipho: I intend studying Tourism Management at Varsity next year.
Karabo: I am in my second semester of HIV Management and Counselling training. My future goal is to help people who are suffering emotionally and psychologically.
Laila: My future goal is to study Public Relations and Communication and to become a Chief Financial Officer. I also want to have my own Beauty Spar and start an NPO to help my community.
Bongiwe: The training was amazing! It helped me so much. I got a job soon after the training. Now I’m hoping to upgrade my computer skills, and then do an LLB part-time.
Simphiwe: My future goals are to continue with my studies and graduate as an early childhood development educator, and also join the live show Idols because I have a singing talent.
Nthateng: My future goal is to be independent in everything also to serve as a role model for those I am managing. I want to be a mentor to others and help them achieve their full potential.
A surprising number of people thought they would like to run their own training centres:
Dimkatso: I had no knowledge of computers but now my goal is to start a Computer Centre within my community to assist other students.
Pretty: My goal is to become a centre owner to teach computer skills in the community in Warden.
Ayavuya: I am working as a trainer for the SkillWise program in KingWilliams Town.
Sinothando: I am now a computer trainer at SkillWise in Willowvale.
PEDI and Beauty for Ashes – Transformed Lives!
In 2024, two new groups of learners joined the SkillWise family:
Early in 2024, we were approached by Beauty for Ashes, a charity that provides support services to women parolees who have been incarcerated for five years or more. The women were living together in two small houses in Observatory and doing a range of training programs to equip them with skills that would help them to get reestablished in the wider world. The women asked if they could do a course in computer skills, so the organisers contacted SkillWise to ask if we could help.
We set up four computers in the living room of one of the houses, and introduced the women (aged between 25 and 65) to the program. We asked them why they were keen to do it. Their reply was unequivocal: “With a prison record, we are at the bottom of every possible job list we get on to. We need something that no one else has.”
Sharon, our support person, visited them on a weekly basis and was amazed at how they persevered until they were achieving really high scores. They completed the basic program, celebrating with a wonderful graduation ceremony. We heard recently that 60 percent of those who did the program have already secured jobs.
Another, larger scale program has been running since mid-2024 in Phillipi on the Cape Flats.
PEDI, a project funded by the City of Cape Town and the Presidential Fund, provides nine months of temporary employment to unemployed people. They are engaged in various projects to improve their living environment, such as Security, Recycling and Beautification. In 2024, PEDI offered these short-term employees the opportunity to do the SkillWise digital skills program. They would pay 50% of the fee and the project would contribute the rest. To date, some 150 people have signed up for the course, and of those who have completed it, 69% have secured permanent jobs. This is a remarkable achievement in an area with an unemployment level of 40%, and we give full credit to PEDI for creating the environment that made this possible.