May 23, 2005
By Ndaba Dlamini
DON'T be surprised when next you buy some vegetables and the street trader strikes up a conversation about profit and loss and the exchange rate.
In an effort to equip informal traders on Johannesburg's streets with basic business skills, the City's economic development unit, with Wits University, is conducting courses "so that the traders can take advantage of opportunities created by the growth in the first economy".
The unit was set up in 2003 to promote economic growth in line with the Joburg 2030 strategy. That strategy anticipates the City playing an active role in boosting economic growth by focusing on designated growth sectors.
"We started conducting the courses aimed at training about 350 informal traders operating within the second economy in February this year," says Linda Vilakazi-Tselane, the unit's programme manager.
"We went on a drive around the city's markets to advertise and recruit traders interested in doing the courses so that they can be equipped with basic business skills and knowledge."
The courses are offered free to informal traders; at present there are about 370 registered informal traders attending the courses, which are held at Wits University.
Through Metro Trading, the unit managed to reach traders across Johannesburg. They learned about the courses through word of mouth and pamphlets distributed in city markets. A registration list was also distributed.
The initial response was not encouraging, Vilakazi-Tselane says. "On the first day of the course [on 26 February] only a handful attended... People were sceptical about the whole issue. However, when the first group went back to their colleagues with their files and sample certificates, people became interested."
There were drop-outs from the first group because people thought they would get trading stands. "But it was such a delight to see both old and young people taking such an interest in the programme."
The composition of the group is diverse, she says. "We have well-qualified, unemployed people who have tertiary diplomas and certificates under their belts, those who have gone up to matric and people who have never seen the inside of a classroom. We are happy that there is a significant number of women among the group."
Along with the free course, the City provides the traders with a fixed transport stipend and a packed lunch.
The partnership with Wits is a result of the memorandum of agreement the City signed with all universities, technikons and Vista universities operating in Joburg in November 2003. The key objective of that memorandum is to partner in the development of skills at all levels.
"There is a shortage of skills out there and we decided to use Wits, which has an internationally recognised business school, to develop a basic business skills course relevant to the needs of informal traders," Vilakazi-Tselane says.
The course is offered over three phases. In phase one the traders attend eight three-hour workshops at weekends. In phase two, two seminars on topics relevant to the skills provided to traders are held and in the third phase traders receive one-on-one mentorship at their trading places by the course facilitators.
After completion of the course, the graduands are given a certificate of attendance from Wits University.
Only those traders who attend all phases will graduate, Vilakazi-Tselane says. "Currently, we are planning to host a graduation sometime in July 2005 for those who completed the course."
She says her unit hopes to continue offering the courses and anticipates getting other partners to run the programme, possibly with the Sector Education and Training Authority.
"We also plan to diversify and look at offering English literacy and adult basic education and training as part of the course. We will also look at health and food safety, which we think should form part of the course. We will start targeting particular sectors in terms of what they trade in, like hairdressers, for example. At the moment, the group is mixed."
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