Eight more hospitality trainees graduate at Women at Work
Another group of trainees completed their courses at Women at Work, the basic skills training centre for unemployed women, that helps them find and keep permanent jobs in the hospitality trade. Eight students graduated on 12 May as part of the centre’s second intake for 2023.
The centre’s General Manager, Pat Sivertsen, said, “From the first intake this year, eight out of the nine students are currently employed, with three of them doing extended job placements at the hotels where they were placed. This just shows the impact that Women at Work brings about within the communities and its contribution to fighting poverty and unemployment.”
Registered as a welfare organisation, the Women at Work Training Centre operates as a Section 21 company, with the mission to be a catalyst for change in the lives of unemployed Namibian women by providing high-quality basic skills training and facilitating suitable, stable employment through its Employment Bureau.
The centre’s hospitality course has been funded partially by the Capricorn Foundation for the past 23 years. This year the foundation’s support amounts to N$350,000.
The foundation’s Coordinator, Veripura Muukua, said at the graduation ceremony, “Change does not happen overnight but initiating it can happen in a second. It is up to us to catalyse these opportunities so that we can make an impact where it is needed most. The Capricorn Foundation is excited to make a difference in the lives of these ladies by helping them with the opportunity to improve their skills and a chance in the job market.”
The hospitality course comprises four components: Life Skills, Cleaning Skills, Laundry Skills, and Cooking Skills, running over eight weeks. Six weeks are spent at the training centre where students do practicals and theory, followed by two weeks in an internship. Students are required to meet a 60% pass rate for the exams.
