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SOUTH AFRICA: New Porsche Program to Provide Training to 75 Youth

(MissionNewswire) Starting in July 2017, 75 disadvantaged youth in South Africa will have an opportunity to take part in a new training program known as the Porsche Aftersales Vocational Education program to learn the skills to become mechanics. This training is intended to open up new professional opportunities not only in Porsche but also in other brands of the Volkswagen Group. The program will be based in Cape Town and focus mainly on underprivileged youth from areas such as the Cape Flats.

The training program is organized in association with Don Bosco Mondo together with Don Bosco Salesian Institute Youth Projects in Cape Town and the Porsche importer in South Africa, LSM Distributors. The three parties signed an official memorandum of understanding on Nov. 30 at the Porsche Center in Johannesburg.

“A total of 75 young men and women will be given the opportunity to train as service mechatronics at the new Porsche Training and Recruitment Center in South Africa across three academic years,” noted a Porsche representative in a Wheels 24 article about the new training.  “This training will unlock career opportunities for young adults, not only at Porsche itself, but also with other brands in the VW Group.”

Youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested can apply for the training. They will have three different routes into the program, depending on their level of qualification. If an applicant is already sufficiently qualified for vocational training, he or she can access the two-year service mechatronic training program directly. Any applicants who do not possess the required qualifications can complete a six- to eight-week life skills training course at the Don Bosco Salesian Institute Youth Projects. If an applicant is lacking basic skills, he or she will be given the opportunity to complete a year-long vocational preparation course to prepare for the workforce. This option will be available for up to 50 people per year and will enable them to make significant progress in their personal development.

“A well-founded education is the key to success. Sadly, there are still too many people in this country who drop out of their course because they don’t see any prospects for them at the end of their training,” said Toby Venter, owner of LSM Distributors in the Wheels 24 article. “We want to encourage them and accompany them each step of the way. I am confident that they will emerge from the comprehensive 24-month training program with a stronger sense of self-confidence that will enable them to seize the opportunities that come their way.”

At the end of the program, 25 youth will be placed in jobs at Porsche or at one of its sister companies in the group such as Audi, VW or Bentley. The project is spearheaded by the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center Asia located in Manila, the Philippines where disadvantaged youth have had access to this training as service and bodywork technicians since 2008. In 2015, Volkswagen and Audi also took part in this program and, in collaboration with Don Bosco Mondo, more than 120 young Filipinos each year have received special training for a job in the post-sales sector of the three companies.

While the goal of the program is to train qualified staff for Porsche dealerships, the program in South Africa is also designed to establish a new training program. Porsche is developing curricula and examination regulations, training instructors, and equipping theoretical and practical lecture areas at the Don Bosco Salesian Institute Youth Projects in Cape Town.

Poverty is extensive in South Africa with more than 45 percent of the population living below the poverty line, according to UNICEF. A significant percentage of the population struggles to survive on less than one dollar a day. Salesian missionaries have been working to bring hope, particularly to poor youth in South Africa. From empowering girls and young women to building schools and teaching trade skills, Salesian missionaries have a long history of affecting change in the country.

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Sources:

ANS – South Africa – Salesians and Porsche working together for young people

UNICEF – South Africa

Wheels 24 – Want to work with sports cars? Porsche to train, employ 75 youngsters in SA

Salesian Missions – South Africa