Manpower’s Talent Shortage Survey has revealed that 35% of employers in South Africa are struggling to find qualified job candidates, particularly in the engineering, skilled trades and accounting and finance industry sectors.

 Those who learn a wider range of skills become more valuable as employees and more employable as job seekers.

We have already established a skills-development centre on our property where we are currently teaching woodcraft skills to the older children and would like to in the near future incorporate other skills as well.

The goal is to give learners exposure to the different fields of trade such as carpentry, plumbing, painting, electrical and mechanics. The Joshua Project will not become another training centre but only a means of encouraging and developing skills identified in learners.

A further purpose is to identify learners and to show them basic skills and if they are interested, they can enter the formal trade schools.

The aim is to establish a Mentoring relationship between the teacher and learner as they work together and learn together.  The Joshua Project wants to teach the children basic skills like using a hammer, changing tap washers, changing a tyre etc and with that build relationships and trust, furthering the development of the child’s character.