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Welkom – On Tuesday 06 June 2017 the Free State Tourism buddies who have been trained by amongst others Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP) received their national certificates at a ceremony which was attended by the Deputy Minister of Tourism Ms Elizabeth Thabethe.

GGHNP was the largest “host employer” in this programme that was initiated by the National Department of Tourism and facilitated by the Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs in the province as another way of curbing the skills shortage and high unemployment rate particularly in the tourism sector.

100 unemployed youths from the Free State were enrolled in this programme for a period of 12 months. Training consisted of 30% theory and 70% practical training, where the learners were placed in various hospitality establishments including Golden Gate. 80 of the 100 leaners from the Free State received qualifications which are fully accredited by CATHSSETA.

The qualifications are the National Certificate on Food and Beverages NQF Level 4 and National Certificate on Accommodation Services NQF Level 2. The park hosted a large number of learners because of its proximity to the town of Clarens which needs to develop a lot of previously disadvantaged people in the tourism sector.

Whilst addressing delegates, the deputy minister said “tourism does not only provide employment opportunities but encourages people to become entrepreneurs as well.” She further thanked all the partners for the role they played in this programme.

“The success of this project was dependent on our collaborative approach and partnerships to harness the sensible use of resources and pragmatic planning as outlined in the National Tourism Sector Strategy. Your support and contribution was immeasurable.” she concluded.

Issued By

South African National Parks (SANParks) Northern Region

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