On 4 May we visited Mabake Secondary School in Moutse West, Limpopo, where we sponsored the Moutse West Career Expo. The career expo aimed to provide career guidance and advice to learners from several high schools in surrounding areas. RMA employees who attended the event gave career tips and guidance to about 1500 learners in grade 11 and 12 by sharing their own personal career journeys to motivate and inform the learners about the various career paths available to them, and answering their questions. As part of the activities, we also donated school shoes and uniforms to young learners from the Makalakanyane Primary School as a gesture of our dedication and passion of early childhood development and education.
On 11 May the first intake of learners from our recently launched skills development programme graduated. The skills training takes place at the Rand Mutual Care Facility in Welkom, Free State. The first intake of 20 learners completed the six-week NQF level 2 IT skills programme.
The skills programme is dedicated to the upliftment, reskilling and education of our pensioners, their families and the community at large. This speaks to our commitment towards holistic rehabilitation that addresses the psycho-social aspects of recovery. A large part of this process is overcoming the effects that sudden disability can have on self-perception.
Our Medical General Manager, Dr Deodat Kritzinger opened the graduation ceremony by giving background on how the skills development programme was established. He went further to note that the programme is an initiative to close the skills gap by giving skills to injured workers who can’t return to their previous work places due to injuries. But it doesn’t end there – it is also open to their families, and the families of employees who have died from their work-related injuries, as well as to the community at large.
Both events received positive feedback from the involved learners and we understand that two learners from the IT skills development programme have already secured employment.