The Capricorn Foundation at this year’s Women at Work’s second graduation ceremony announced its continued support to the project, with a donation of N$350 000.
The Capricorn Foundation has supported the Women at Work Training Centre since its establishment in 2009.
The Women at Work Training Centre is an association not for gain, incorporated under section 21 of the Companies Act, and a registered welfare organisation in terms of the National Welfare Act, 1965 (Act 79 of 1965).
The mission of Women at Work is to be the 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.
Veripura Muukua, Capricorn Foundation Coordinator said at the ceremony; “Change doesn’t 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.
This is also contributing to reducing the Namibian unemployment rate and promoting economic advancement.”
The Capricorn Foundation partially funds the Hospitality course, which is offered to young people who have not completed their schooling and thus find it difficult to find employment in the formal market.
The hospitality course is comprised of four components: Life Skills, Cleaning Skills, Laundry Skills, and Cooking Skills and runs over eight weeks. Six weeks are spent at the training centre, where students undergo practical as well as theoretical training, followed by a two-week internship. Students are required to meet a 60% pass rate for the exams.
Pat Sivertsen, General Manager of Women at Work 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 in Namibia.”
Eight students graduated from this year’s second intake. Women at Work through its Employment Bureau aims to continue supporting its graduates in finding jobs and to continually motivate them to also look at opportunities and market gaps within their communities in order to become self-employed.