Training Centre

Location:

The heart of the campus is a training centre and the koppie to the west.

Objective:

The objective is to provide infrastructure and space for teaching groups and individuals, and from where participants can go out for practical skills exercises.

Project Outline:

The campus will gear up to provide SITA accredited training courses in a wide range of areas:

• Environment: Everything about VDI has an environmental focus. Dedicated courses are planned in the fields of dry-land, wetland / riverine eco-systems, eco-technologies, and eco-system service provision. The koppie is being developed with the surrounding biosphere plants as a training site and for eco-tourism.
• Health: Dedicated courses are planned to combat alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and teenage pregnancy, in the care of children under 5, TB and HIV/AIDS management, and first aid to manage injuries and general ailments (linked with sport, skills workshops and environment programmes).
• Education: While the whole aim is skills development, there will also be a focus on child and adult education, including courses in child care and early childhood development, being a chaperone and an au pair (linked with the early childhood development centre).
• Computer skills: The centre has an administrative office that is designed as the VDI ‘back-office’, but also to double as a possible internet café, workspace for students, and as a revenue generating opportunity contracting out office and administrative services. All trainers will be trained in basic computer packages (MS Office suite and others) and there is a hope of training youth to undertake basic cell phone and computer repairs.
• Sport: The sports facilities are designed to allow VDI to train sports coaches, referees and score-keepers in athletics and other sports codes (especially from schools and clubs) and part of this training will be undertaken in the Training Centre.
• Other: There will be:
  • courses in entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprise development, especially for promising participants of other courses
  • opportunities to develop youth leadership skills amongst young people through mentorships and ‘train-the-trainer’ programmes for community members, to assist them to work with youth outside of school (link to the sports facilities and early childhood development, and possibly skills workshops)
  • opportunities to facilitate the establishment of school-based youth clubs (to follow academic interests), and ‘homework clubs’ (spaces to do the work, such as under supervision in the tutorial rooms)
  • opportunities to encourage and support the development of groups around enthusiasms and interests such as music and sound systems, environmental issues, and cross-community reconciliation

Outcomes:

By providing training VDI will assist participants in VDI activities to become healthy, employable and have better opportunities for their lives. The focus on the environment will contribute to preserving the valuable natural resources around us.