EOH Work Readiness Initiative - Narrative Reports 2014 - 2015 Aug. 2014 | Page 16

WORK READINESS INITIATIVE UNDER DIGITAL JOBS FOR AFRICA

PROGRESS TO DATE
OVERVIEW
The programme is on target with regard to the
deliverables listed in the implementation plan.

WHAT QUANTITATIVE PROGRESS
HAS BEEN MADE?
▲▲ Development of all learning materials and
supplementary content is complete
−− 907 learners have completed the 5 day
component
−− Of those learners, 364 have also completed the 8
week component
▲▲ Identification of employment opportunities has
begun
−− Most of the current learners will only complete
their qualification in November 201422
▲▲ Development of the learner communication
platform is underway and will be fully developed by
the end of February 2015

WHAT QUALITATIVE PROGRESS
HAS BEEN MADE?
A total of 34 people were selected to be interviewed
for the qualitative aspect of this report. This includes
four managers and two mentors with the balance
being learners who participated on the work readiness
programme (see “Interviews” section later in this report
for details).
All respondents expressed positive feedback about the
programme.
Learners affirmed the importance of the programme
content in helping them integrate into what was for
many of them, their first work opportunity. The South
African public schooling system offers learners little to
no preparation for the workplace, especially in those
areas which are under-serviced or located in remote rural
areas, which is where many of the learners interviewed
completed their schooling.
Learners affirmed the experiential component of the
larger learnership programme as critical in equipping
them beyond the formal, theoretical “book” learning
which they received at school and at their colleges.
The learners are all drawn from disadvantaged
backgrounds. Many of them expressed a positive
impact (or a planned positive impact) from their learning
experience on their families and communities.
22 the WOW programme is embedded in a longer learnership programme
which was discussed earlier in this document

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The final narrative report for this project will be able to
evaluate this impact more accurately. The monitoring
and evaluation consortium appointed by Rockefeller
Foundation has met with the EOH implementation team
to begin discussing how this can be achieved.

WHAT CHALLENGES WERE
ENCOUNTERED?
A common challenge is ensuring that the most suitable
learner is identified and recruited to partake in the
programme. This is managed by ensuring a very
thorough recruitment process which includes testing and
interviews.
Once the learner is selected, it is not always easy to
ensure that the learner is placed within the most suitable
host site. It may be that host sites that are the most
willing are not necessarily the ones that may be the best
fit for a specific learner.
A risk that is ever present and needs to be managed
closely is ensuring that the learner is assigned relevant
tasks in the workplace that are accurately linked to their
qualification. Various reasons for this not happening
may be that the learner may not be taken seriously and
is therefore assigned menial tasks that are not relevant
and that may not necessarily enhance the chances of
the learner coming out of the programme up-skilled in
the best possible manner ensuring that the learner is in
a better position to secure employment than before they
entered the programme.
Once the learner is placed it may be that the mentor
or the manager that is tasked with the responsibility of
mentoring and managing the training of the learner in the
workplace may not fully buy into the learnership process.
Interestingly, one of the issues faced are mentors or
managers feeling threatened by the presence of learners
who are young and although inexperienced, may already
have a higher qualification than the mentor. Mentors
often state that they are too busy with their own tasks to
fully engage with the learner and the process. This also
filters into the next challenge, which is having accurate
documentation completed by the mentor in the workplace
in order to track and measure the progress of the learner
within the specific workplace.
A unique challenge that is faced by the female learners
is pregnancy. This can halt the progress of the learner
within the programme or in some cases, the learner may
cease participation completely.
Some learners struggle with committing to seeing the
programme through to the end. This may be because
the learner finds a position that offers them a little more
money, which they seriously need, and the learner will
then drop out of the programme and lose out on the final
qualification. It is high priority for us to ensure that each
and every learner is retained within the programme.
Managing of resources can be challenging at times
to ensure that the learner and the host site are fully
supported throughout the process. The web-based
communication platform will assist in widening the