Jakes Gerwel Technical HS learners puts the pot back in the hole!
17 November 2023
Learners at Jakes Gerwel Technical School (JGT) in Bonnievale are assisting the Langeberg municipality maintenance team with a road maintenance project.
The group of 15 boys and girls are currently in Year 3 of the School of Skills curriculum at the school.
The learners, accompanied by their teacher, Pieto Fourie, attended induction training on 17 October 2023 where the Langeberg Municipality provided them with the required personal protective gear and explained the necessary safety aspects before they could start work on site.
"We appreciate the learners' assistance, which will undoubtedly speed up service delivery to cope with the Bonnievale pothole repair program," said Carel Posthumus, senior manager for Civil Engineering services of the Langeberg municipality.
Sunnete von Moltke, a teacher at JGT, said that “the learners see this as a challenge and an opportunity to give back to the community, gain experience and learn new skills. The project exposes the learners to various career options that they can follow and new ways to apply the skills they were taught in class. The learners enjoy the work and are noticed by the community and other stakeholders, which again means new opportunities for the learners of Jakes Gerwel Technical School. Each learner will receive a report after the project is completed, so that it can serve as proof of skills and experience gained for after-school work opportunities.”
The JGT curriculum is entrepreneurial with practical subjects aligned to scarce skills for ready-to-work employability. This excursion into industry provides job exposure to understand what a day in civil works would entail and broaden the vision of career possibilities. It further provides an opportunity to evaluate the learners’ knowledge, teach them new skills with hands-on work experience and provide mentorship, which will lead them to a bright future.
Vol Moltke said the school is proud to be part of such an innovative community project because it benefits the learners and the community. She added that the learners represented the school in such a way that a contractor contacted the school for further projects in which the learners will participate.
“We hope and trust that this innovation will also expand to other communities so that we will be able to empower and strengthen our youth.”
