Government will from June 2018, train the participants of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in basic financial literacy.
This will enable the participants to use their hard-earned wages wisely.
The Department of Public Works on Monday said it plans to train over 3 500 participants during the 2018/19 financial year. Already the department has since 2006 trained a total of 12 500 participants throughout the country.
"The training will empower the participants to make prudent financial decisions with their hard-earned wages,” said Deputy Director General (DDG) for EPWP, Stanley Henderson.
To prepare for the training of the participants, the officials in the EPWP Branch have recently attended a workshop at the head office of the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in Pretoria, where they were trained in this particular course.
The Deputy Director for EPWP Training, Reuben Komane, explained that the training will be rolled out countrywide.
"The training will help participants to develop personal financial skills such as how to save a bit of money from their wages as well as how to develop their personal monthly budgets. We believe that these skills are vital in assisting our participants to effectively manage their monthly wages."
The FSCA's guest facilitator at the staff workshop, Phumla Trolly, explained to the officials that the course is vital because it will also provide participants with information regarding their consumer rights as enshrined in the National Credit Act.
EPWP is one of government’s medium to long-term strategies to reduce unemployment and alleviate poverty through the creation of work opportunities using labour-intensive methods.
The programme - which is implemented by all spheres of government and state-owned entities – has four sectors, namely: infrastructure, social, environment and culture and non-State.
The EPWP participants work in different projects such as Community Work Programme (CWP), Early Childhood Development Programmes, Home Community Based Care Programmes, Extra School Support Programmes, Working on Fire, Working for Water and Roads Maintenance Projects, among others.
Through various skills and training that the participants receive from the EPWP, the participants stand a better chance to enter the formal job market and become entrepreneurs. - SAnews.gov.za
