Work is uniquely human. We are all called, in some way or other to make our work reflect our dignity, faith and belief. The lack of work is a major contributor to the hopelessness and emotional paralyses that we see in our country. While there are a lot of people who identify the need for job creation and development of skills among poorer people, not many people are responding to this need. Kolping has a 158 year history of involvement with marginalized and under privileged in European, South American and African countries.

The Work opportunity Programme (WOP) was developed in response to a large number of unemployed school leavers who have been marginalized. The programme covers the full process needed by unemployed people to be reintegrated into the workplace.

The target group

• Youth between ages of 18-30
• Unemployed
• From disadvantaged background
• Completed Grade 10

WOP strives to:

• Address the need for life skills training,
• Motivate self-starters to set up small businesses and to continue supporting them through a monitoring system,
• Help provide services that will uplift the communities of the participants. If the participants are in need of hard-skills training, the Kolping Society also assists them by putting them in touch with suitable institutions.

The Course Consists of:

• Phase 1:  A 10-day residential life skills course covering personal development, problem-solving, conflict resolution, communication, preparation for employment, and basic entrepreneurship training.
• Phase 2: Putting participants in touch with institutions for hard-skills training.
• Phase 3: Arranging internships (on-the-job training) for participants
• Phase 4: Mentoring as the participant enters the world of work.
• Assistance in setting up self-help support groups and implementing local projects

The Work Opportunity Programme has been customized to:

• Use the development lessons learnt by the Kolping Society to improve relevance, motivation and effectiveness of social change
• Strengthen the choices required by school leavers to create meaningful and feasible working lives in their communities and economy
• Address the socio-cultural dynamics which are present in rural and outlying communities
• Look at the "whole person" when addressing the creation of work
• Support creation of self-employment opportunities for school leavers
• Manage toward self-reliance
• Use training material based on participative action-learning methodology

COURSES OFFERED

• Catercare
• Frailcare
• Welding
• Hairdressing
• Sewing
• Office Administration
• Motor Mechanics
• Panel Beating
• Spray Painting
• Carpentry
• Other courses offered reliant on students choices