In the townships, over 90% of school leavers are unemployed to begin with.

The lack of work and the lack of prospects at home draws young people to the streets. Especially from the fatherless community, they often look for a connection with a gang or with young people who turn to alcohol or drugs. Then acquisitive crime and prostitution are close at hand and there is a danger that they will find it difficult to break away from this environment again.

We want to counteract this with one-year training opportunities in the sense of systematic vocational apprenticeships similar to the ones known in Switzerland. This project is specifically aimed at intellectually weaker youth who have no chance of higher education or who could not finish school. 

In cooperation with the partner NBI (National Business Initiative), interested leavers from our orphan care centre and potential candidates from the township are selected and prepared for the one-year training in theory and practice.

The apprentices for the technical direction - e.g. as "General Commercial Repairer" or as "Assistant Plumber" - start with a three-month basic theoretical training in a public college. This is followed by nine months of practical training at a company recognised in the industry. Finally, another theoretical block and the final examination are complemented at the college.

The apprenticeship in the hospitality sector (front desk/food&beverage/housekeeping), based on the SSHAP concept (Swiss South African Hospitality Apprenticeship Program) initiated by the Swiss Embassy in South Africa, starts directly in a hotel with practical training. Parallel to this, the apprentices attend theoretical lessons once every fortnight, which are complemented by online modules.