Pretoria – Twenty-four learners will join the ranks of the television and film industry after they successfully completed a six-month skills programme.
Communications Deputy Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on Wednesday awarded the students their certificates.
The Film and Television Production Skills Programme is equivalent to a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 5 qualification.
Deputy Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams have an opportunity to be considered for employment or freelance opportunities in various media and communication agencies. She told the students that since the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is planning to have more television channels, more production personnel will be needed.
Deputy Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams called on media production houses to open their doors to the students.
She encouraged the learners to use whatever opportunities presented to them by government and the industry. She also told them to take the initiative and come up with ideas.
“... We need initiatives that will grow our economy,” she said.
Government Communications (GCIS) acting Deputy Director-General Tasneem Carrim strongly encouraged the graduates to become entrepreneurs.
“We need more entrepreneurs to start telling our stories and history,” she said.
Ntsako Vanetia Baloyi from Midrand, Gauteng, was the top student in the programme.
“It was not difficult. For me, everything was just easy to understand,” she said.
She said her dream is to become a journalist or an editor.
The programme was first introduced in the Western Cape, where 35 learners successfully completed the course.
The learners, mostly from Lusaka and KTC in Nyanga, outclassed their Gauteng and Eastern Cape counterparts by achieving an 88% pass rate.
Commitment to youth
During her 2015 Budget Vote, Deputy Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams committed to train young people in online video software. This commitment was realised through a partnership with Media, Information & Communication Technologies Sector Education & Training Authority (MICT SETA) and Atos, who then developed the six-month skills programme.
The programme comprises four modules - communication, sound, camera and online video editing. It entails learning directing, camerawork, editing, scriptwriting and other film and TV production skills.
As the country gears up for digital television migration, the Deputy Minister acknowledged that she is particularly zealous about enabling youth from rural and disadvantaged communities to be part of the digital age. Providing them with skills in media production is a step towards achieving this quest.
Since the programme was introduced, it has been rolled out in Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Western Cape. The 2017 intake is envisaged to be extended to all other provinces.
The skills programme is aimed at upskilling unemployed youth and graduates with television and television production skills, thus enabling them to respond to the digital media environment.
The training provider, Atos, has further committed to place 30% of the learners who successfully completed the programme at various companies in the media and ICT sectors. – SAnews.gov.za
