The students will be partnered with mentors from the different city departments to help them adapt to the new workplaces. 

A college has signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Johannesburg to provide students with internships at city departments.

A partnership has been clinched between the South-West Gauteng College (SWGC) and Johannesburg to place about 80 students in city departments to gain practical experience. 

The agreement between the two parties was signed at Metro Centre in Braamfontein on May 10, 2021 by the acting principal of SWGC, Malose Monyamane, and Group Corporate Service MMC Loyiso Masuku. The memorandum of understanding is to take students for practical workplace training, which includes a contribution by the Services Sector Education Training Authority (Services SETA). 

The partnership will see students being placed in various city departments. A statement by the City of Johannesburg on its Twitter account said, “The students will be trained in different fields such as marketing, human resources and more.’’ 

The selection process for graduates who were accepted was explained by Monyamane who said they were looking at the bestperforming students, as we believe a performing student goes the extra way to achieve the goal and the task given to them. 

The majority of students awarded the opportunity are graduates of SWGC. Many expressed how difficult it had been for them to find work, however, with only the qualification they possessed. 

The signing event followed a recent speech by Executive Mayor Geoff Makhubo, in which he said the contribution by the city was an integral part of accelerated delivery aimed at equipping the youth of Johannesburg with practical work experience. 

The students will be partnered with mentors from the different city departments to help them adapt to the new workplaces. Kosane Motshekga, a mentorsaid that, “Our responsibility as mentors is to ensure we properly on-board the learners, so that they can gain skills we are transferring to them to become employable. 

Thulani Mbangula, an HR graduate at SWGC said, “I graduated in 2015 and it has been years that I have not received such an opportunity. I am grateful to the city, college and UJ for giving me this opportunity. 

Masuku said, “The skills programme initiative is a plan that is well thought of, and as the city we plan on doing this with other colleges. 

FEATURED IMAGE: About 80 graduates are being given a chance to gain practical experience in City of Johannesburg departments. Photo:File

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