Services SETA

By Mandla Mpangase Skills development is vital for the growth and transformation of South Africa’s economy – and is one of the core drivers of the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone. On 29 January 2025, representatives from the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) and the TASEZ Training Academy attended a Services SETA monitoring session of one of their projects in Johannesburg, where they got the chance to meeting the 119 young people undergoing a learnership programme. The learners train under the auspices of Auvergne Designs, a factory that produces furniture for many of the country’s retailers. The learnership consists of 70% hands-on training, and 30% theoretical course work. At the end of 12 months, the participants graduate with the skills to enter the job market or even set up their own small business. “We are shaping the future of our youth,” says TASEZ Training Academy project manager, Ilse Immelman. The TASEZ Training Academy has three key components: skills development; entrepreneurial incubation; and high-performance programmes. “As a hub of innovation and growth in the automotive sector, our academy is dedicated to shaping the future of the automotive industry – and beyond – by nurturing talent, fostering entrepreneurship, and delivering high-performance education programmes.” Skills director for Auvergne, Phumla Stokwe, talks of the company’s vision of expanding their training offerings and developing a skills hub for the furniture industry. “We see the difference training makes in young people’s lives,” she says. Auvergne Designs co-owner Owen Drysdale is passionate about training the young cohort: “The youth are amazing. We recruit young people straight out of school and through the training are able to give them a solid foundation in furniture-making skills along with life skills like confidence and a level of self-esteem.” One of the young people on the learnership, 19-year-old Kutwano Motaung from Diepkloof Soweto, said he dreams of opening his own business in the future. By attending theoretical classes and then the practical work on the factory floor, Keagan Arends, from Noordgesig in Soweto, said the learnership was providing him with “workplace experience”. Auvergne Designs has been in operation for 25 years, but it was the Covid pandemic that breathed new life into the company: allowing it to change its approach from focusing on high-end products to retail furniture. This was possible thanks to the government funds provided during the pandemic and the partnership with the Services SETA, which offers a stipend for the young people undergoing the learnership programme. “It is through education, that we can create jobs,” Drysdale offers. The factory currently has 450 employees who work as frame cutters, seamsters, upholsterers, and quality controllers. Every item in the factory is hand-crafted using local materials. And the quality more than holds its own with international competition. Auvergne Designs is able to produce some 8 000 chairs every month. The TASEZ Training Academy appointed We Invest Africa as the project manager for the Auvergne Designs learnership programme. Director of We Invest Africa, Wisani Mathye, describes the project as an important one, giving the young people on the learnership the chance to change their lives. “On completing this year-long learnership, they will be able to find jobs and event start up their own businesses.” Natalie Ford from the Gauteng office of the Services SETA explained the importance of learnerships in opening doors to opportunities. The programmes sits on a number of pillars: employability; experience; knowledge acquisition; networking opportunities; and access to permanent jobs. South Africa has 21 SETAs (Sector Education and Training Authorities) covering key economic industries, including in agriculture, chemical, construction, finance and insurance, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail. Each SETA is responsible for managing and creating learnerships, internships, unit-based skills programmes, and apprenticeships within its industry.