EXPANDED PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME 22 MAY 2012

PROJECT OUTCOMES To increase job creation through the expansion of Social Sector EPWP programmes To provide Early Childhood Development (ECD) Practitioners with career pathways and opportunities. To improve the quality of teaching and learning in the Department of Social Development (DSD) and Western Cape Education Department (WCED)'s registered ECD public and independent schools.

Strategy To identify 648 unemployed persons with a passion for ECD who would benefit from training in early childhood development as ECD practitioner assistants. To identify 8 unemployed matriculants who needed training and experience to improve their computing skills and assist them to find permanent employment as data capturers.

Selection criteria for beneficiaries Unemployed – 55% women – 40% youth (16 – 35) – 2% disabled Beneficiaries were selected from both urban and rural areas Beneficiaries would be working with young children (0-4 years) and should therefore be suitable to do so (Children’s Act)

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENT The 2011/2012 Incentive Grant allocation created job opportunities for 648 unemployed persons as ECD practitioner assistants, completed a ten- month Level 1 ECD skills programme; and 8 unemployed persons who were trained as technical admin support staff (Data Capturers) who were given the opportunity to improve their computing skills.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENT Monthly progress reports on the training of the ECD practitioner assistants were tabled by the FET Colleges at the Provincial EPWP Reference Team Stakeholder meetings as well as at the Provincial Social Sector meetings. Quarterly monitoring and evaluation was conducted by the EPWP project manager and Head Office staff. The purpose of these monitoring and evaluation sessions was to ensure the delivery of quality training at all FET College campuses.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENT The 648 ECD practitioner assistants volunteered at an ECD centre for four days a week and attended a weekly training session at one of the FET Colleges on the fifth day. The ECD Level 1 course material was developed from SAQA accredited Unit Standards for the GETC ID no The course material for the Level 1 skills programme was approved by the ETDP-SETA and the latter is currently verifying the results of the 648 ECD practitioner assistants

STIPENDS In accordance with the Ministerial Determination, the daily wage of R60.00 was adhered to and each of the 648 ECD practitioner assistants received a monthly stipend of R1,200 for the duration of the course. The 8 technical admin support staff each received a monthly stipend of R3,000 for the contract period of 12 months.

FINANCE ALLOCATIONEXPENDITURE AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2011 BALANCE R8,070,000R6,703,090 83%R1,366,910 ALLOCATIONTOTAL EXPENDITURE AS AT 31 MARCH 2012 BALANCE R8,070,000R8,065,690 99,9%R4,310.00

CHALLENGES Even though the FET Colleges had conducted thorough screening assessments, there were still learners who dropped out of the learnerships. Some of the reasons for the drop-outs were: offered permanent employment elsewhere; the stipend was insufficient to cover all their expenses – transport costs especially in the rural areas

CHALLENGES the learners had to withdraw due to ill health or pregnancy; and learners could not cope with the expectations of the skills programme – either the medium of instruction or the level of the tasks. There was a total of 21 dropouts (32%) in this incentive grant programme.

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