In an effort to tackle unemployment, the Leva Foundation has been running a work readiness initiative to help people looking for jobs.
Gqeberha, South Africa (26 February 2024) – With the latest unemployment rate in South Africa now over the 40% threshold, hope is often a scarce commodity in our local communities.
However, challenging a poverty and entitlement mindset with hope is exactly what Work 4 a Living Facilitator Grace Chirwa, enjoys doing.
She has been part of the Leva Work 4 a Living Centre, based at Fathers House Church in Gqeberha, for the past ten years where she now heads up the centre.
“We train our students to have a strong work ethic, take ownership of their lives and to be financially savvy. The most satisfying part of the job is when we see a student breaking the poverty mindset and becoming free, and shortly after this financial independence follows,” said Chirwa.
The Leva Work 4 a Living Centre is a project of the Leva Foundation in partnership with Siya Sebenza. The 14-day job-readiness workshop provides practical training and a positive framework from which individuals can find employment.
“We have seen over and over again that Work 4 a Living is a powerful way to start the journey of entering the economy. After Work 4 a Living, people follow a vertical career path and break free from poverty,” said Leva Foundation CEO Ryan le Roux.
Some training offered in the job-readiness workshop includes compiling a CV, financial literacy, how to conduct yourself in the workplace and more.
Once successfully completed, students move on to Phase 2 skills courses. An assortment of training is offered like Computer Literacy, Advanced Computer Skills, Office Administration, and Social Media Marketing – to name a few.
While the focus of the Leva Work 4 a Living Centre is on job-readiness training, employers also contact the centre to offer work opportunities to some of the top students who have completed the programme.
“These are normally the students who have excellent time-management skills and have a good attitude and character towards their work. Many get promoted within a short period of time, once they are given an employment opportunity,” said Chirwa.
She said a student who worked at a Summerstrand hotel in Gqeberha impressed a patron of the hotel so much, that the patron contacted the Work 4 a Living facilitators to train her employees in Grahamstown.
Another successful student, who is employed as a Care Worker in Jeffreys Bay, has become so valuable to her employers that they paid for her Learner’s Licence, Driving Lessons and Driver’s Test.
Thando Mlambo, who completed the Work 4 a Living programme in 2022, said she received a call for a job on the very day she graduated from the programme.
“I started off working on weekends as a casual, and now I am the primary carer of a 95-year-old woman, whom I call Ouma. Before the programme my life was in stagnation – it had a big influence on where I am today. When I started in the Work 4 a Living programme Mama Grace (Chirwa) told me that I had what it takes to be employed within 3 months,” said Mlambo, who is a mother of three.
Tino Hofisi, another successful Work 4 a Living graduate, showed a love for all things IT during his training and eventually taught IT Skills in the programme.
“Once I started doing some of the assignments, I realised that it wasn’t that hard and that I actually have a love for computers. The programme helped me to grow in confidence – there are so many opportunities out there, and it is important to believe in yourself. I currently work for an internet service provider in Mpumalanga,” said Hofisi.
He wholeheartedly recommends the Work 4 a Living programme to young, unemployed adults since it prepares them for what to expect in the workplace, how to manage their finances and – perhaps most important of all – to have a positive mindset.
“Many young people will think ‘this is it; this is as far as I can go in life – I will continue to do what my parents have done’. But they need to think out of the box and open their eyes to all the opportunities around them – where they can grow and upskill themselves”.
Anyone who would like to get involved with the Work 4 a Living programme can email info@levafoundation.org.
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