New perspectives for adolescents: Apprenticeship garage in Philippi
In less developed countries only very few people receive vocational training. Most people work in the fields and remain unproductive. Others live in slums in the periphery of the big cities without hope to escape poverty or to evolve into a state of self-reliance.
The Institute therefore supports vocational training in Philippi, a township in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2008 a car repair center was built as part of the project “Themba Labantu”, that aims to ameliorate the dramatic situation in the ghettos. The Institute financed the building and Würth South Africa, local subsidiary of a German-based 3 billion sales company for fixing and assembling material, equipped the garage with the required tools. The Lions Club Oslo (Norway) has agreed to bear the apprenticeship costs for all the students over a period of 3 years.
Six students have recently started their apprenticeship. Apart from learning the pure craft of a car mechanic they obtain the opportunity to pursue a career outside the township.
