SIHLALO Woodwork Training Programs
Graduation Day: Awarding the MEC First Aid Certificate and the Sihlalo Short Course Certificate
The Sihlalo mission is to create advantage out of disadvantage for young people. One way to do this is to provide education that increases the chance of sustained employment. At present there is a critical shortage of skilled woodworkers in South Africa. The Sihlalo focus in 2025 has been to position itself to provide formal high quality training to improve skills and employment in this sector.
The Sihlalo workshop was accredited for five years, in May 2025, by the South African Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) (https://www.qcto.org.za) to teach two new FM&P SETA courses (Crafted Furniture Assembler (ID 121908) and Crafted Furniture Machinist (ID 121890). It has been assisted every step of the way in this process by the South African Furniture Initiative (SAFI https://southafricanfurnitureinitiative.co.za/).
The Sihlalo teaching team plans to take the first students into the Crafted Furniture Assembler course in February 2026, with students completing both courses by May 2027. Graduates will have nationally recognised qualifications (NQF Level III) that will improve their employability in woodwork workshops around South Africa. This training is intended to increase the number of young people entering employment in the skilled trades sector. Graduates will become peer leaders in their communities and show that changing lives is possible.
Preparing to be a Woodwork Student
Sihlalo staff have learnt through experience that preparation is required before new students can be safely introduced to the workbench. Given the high level of unemployment in young people from disadvantaged locations in Cape Town, and the loss of confidence that unemployment brings, Sihlalo is conducting non-accredited bridging programs for young people intending to enter formal woodwork training. The 10 day free short course covers a range of topics which prepare students for the realities of workshop life and learning, and which gives them an advantage over students who have had no workshop experience. Students do not need to have completed Matriculation to enrol in this course.
The Sihlalo Short Course is supported by SAFI, and generously funded by the Mapula Trust. It is conducted at the Sihlalo Training Centre in Salt River
The first short course was conducted in Sept-Oct 2025. Guest speakers included Heleen Meyer (nutrition) https://heleenmeyer.co.za/, Eugene La Grange (Occupational Health and Safety consultant), community liaison officer from Nedbank, Lynn Adonis from SAFI, and Prof Karen Grimmer (physiotherapist, Stellenbosch University). First Aid training was provided by MEC https://medicaleducation.co.za/.
The Sihlalo team provided workshop induction and project supervision (Ray), design and technical drawing instruction (Owen), and product assembly and finishing (Nieyaaz, Ray, Wilson). Literacy support was provided by Karen Grimmer and Bev May. This included writing a CV, writing a formal message enquiring about a course or job opportunity, and writing a thank you letter A wholesome breakfast and lunch was provided daily. The students spent approximately 25 hours over the 10 days in the Sihlalo workshop, shadowing workshop staff, undertaking workshop duties, and designing and making small items to take home.
Five students attended the short course, two recent high school leavers (Toni from Kensington, Tayo from Bonteheuvel) and three unemployed young adults (Noxi, Luks and Kamva from Khayetisha). All five students, and two workshop staff (Nieyaaz, Wilson) completed their First Aid Certificate, valid for three years.
Course evaluation was overwhelmingly positive, with students and Sihlalo staff indicating that every element of the course, and every learning opportunity, was high quality and added new information, and value to students’ lives. Sihlalo staff could see that students entering formal training after having completed the short course would have a distinct advantage over students without this knowledge. All graduating students indicated that they would be interested in attending formal woodwork training when it becomes available in 2026.