A Success Story: The Etafeni Trust Fit for - SAfAIDS

6.7 Opportunities Identified and Leveraged
The programme has intrinsically mainstreamed approaches that identify opportunities
for growth and situations to leverage for attaining programme objectives.
Some of those achieved to date include:
• Performing arts used to communicate sensitive issues more succinctly
and strategically, yet not watering down the key messages to be relayed.
Leveraging creative modes of communicating sensitive issues has proven
useful and effective, and still getting the discussions generated
• Strengthening programmme approach during replication of the programme
e.g. at Vrygrond, as opportunity is taken to adapt the training approaches
and strengthen the planning of the training in the replication model
• Securing accreditation of the programme. The programme has now
received accreditation. Another advantage of grasping this opportunity
of accreditation: building long-term relationships with employers and cooperating
partners to provide a number of adequately trained and screened
graduates to these companies. It is hoped that in time, companies will pay a
fee/certain share of the cost of training the recruit by Etafeni – allowing the
organisation to train more people. This fee is returnable to the employer if
Etafeni is accredited through SETA
• Tapping into the ‘employee-quality’ needs of the World of Work: was a
clear opportunity for consolidating impact of the programme, after the
2009 survey that a consultant to Etafeni conducted among a sample of
employers in Cape Town, to determine if they would be willing to employ
people from Nyanga. Among the findings was the fact that employers in
Cape Town did not have a quantity/supply problem and there is no shortage
of skilled potential employees. However the employers did have challenges
with the quality and professionalism of potential employees. This posed an
opportunity for Etafeni to consolidate elements of its training to enhance
quality and attitudinal strengthening of graduates and to link them with the
companies from the survey, post-graduation.
• Tapping existing national mechanisms for employment opportunity was
also recognised, and endorsement of the programme training by the
Department of Labour will enable multiple benefits for the graduates, due
to the Department’s influence and mandate on placements for graduates.
Etafeni has already begun the application process for this endorsement,
in anticipation of leveraging the department’s influence on adding Etafeni
graduates to their database of potential recruits, increasing their chances of
being placed.
6.8 Main Impact of Success
In previous sections the diverse elements of success were described, as generic
measures of a success story – against the model of phases for implementation of the
programme. Overall, the Etafeni Fit For Life, Fit for Work Programme has illustrated
success in: reducing vulnerability and enhancing young people’s attainment of sexual
and reproductive health; by increasing coping capacities of young people through
economic empowerment and knowledge and skills building in a systematic fashion.
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