A group of 12 young people from the Stellenbosch municipal area recently graduated from a four-week culinary training programme as part of the Mayoral Youth Development Programme.
The programme was hosted by Bergzicht Training, said Adrian Bezuidenhout, training manager at the training institution.
The annual programme was funded by a tender agreement between Bergzicht Training and Stellenbosch Municipality. The programme aims to empower and upskill people with the skills they need in order to find jobs, said Bezuidenhout.
The 12 students who graduated from the culinary programme from back left to right: Esetu Kabane, Cameron Willemse, Asiphe Ntlonze, Bayabulela Vani, Nokuphiwa Roji and Thobani Gwebushe. And from front left to right: Sphokazi Ntlanjeni, Ntombekhaya Mbiza, Yolanda Mkamfu, Micheala Goeda, Nikeisha de Villiers and Siyasanga Fana. PHOTO: Supplied/Stellenbosch Municipality
The training programme
Bergzicht Training is a non-profit organization (NPO) that “started as an organization that trains people for domestic work”, said Bezuidenhout. The NPO “has always been about alleviating poverty and helping people find employment”, he explained.
The culinary graduation took place on 15 June and is one of the advanced programmes that Bergzicht Training has to offer, according to Renske Minnaar, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Bergzicht Training. After completing an initial life skills programme, 12 students are selected to participate in the advanced four-week culinary training programme, which is taught in collaboration with the Chefs Training and Innovation Academy (CTIA), according to Minnaar.
“The CTIA campus is where they are taught by top-end chefs. The training is very much based on hygiene, knife skills, etc so that they are prepared from here to walk into a kitchen at a very junior level and then have the understanding of how to work within a team and work in a professional kitchen,” explained Minnaar.
Adrian Bezuidenhout, the training manager at Bergzicht Training, tells MatieMedia about the process behind recruiting students for their training programmes.
This was the first time Bergzicht Training had collaborated with the CTIA. Since the partnership, Bergzicht Training has seen major improvements from their students, according to Minnaar.
“We are so impressed with what we’ve seen from this first group. It’s absolutely fantastic,” said Minnaar. “I think it’s now at a new level. We are really looking forward to our next programme.”
Supporting the Stellenbosch community
The programme only accepts people from the Stellenbosch municipal area. Often, those who apply are from lower-income backgrounds and looking to upskill themselves in order to find work, according to Bezuidenhout.
Sphokazi Ntlanjeni (left) and Esetu Kabanepreparing (right) prepare meals at the CTIA kitchen. Last year, 72% of Bergzicht Training students were immediately placed into work, and in the hospitality segment around 60%, stated Bezuidenhout. PHOTO: Supplied/Stellenbosch Municipality
According to Bezuidenhout some students come from rural backgrounds and are then assisted with skills to do certain things professionally. “That gives them confidence for when they go into the proper workplace,” said Bezuidenhout.
The CTIA believes that the programme has been a great success as it has taught students the basic tools required to work in a kitchen. This was according to Melissa Oldham, the national marketing manager at CTIA.
“For me, it was something that I needed to do so that I can be a better me and strive for a better life,” said Michaela Goeda, one of the culinary graduates situated in Kayamandi. “I’ve learnt a lot on how to work as a team, working on long hours and how the industry is. And I’ve enjoyed every bit of it,” she said.