Projects - Africa - SSD

2005 marks the pivotal third year of Niagara College’s Sustainable Skills Development (SSD) Project in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.  The SSD project is a unique initiative that aims to build strategic partnership networks in education, government, industry, and the community in support of poverty reduction through skills development and increased access to incomes and employment. 

In partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), and South Africa’s Department of Labour, the SSD project focuses on sustainable development in a holistic way through working with local partners in South Africa, as well as providing unique opportunities for the professional development of recent Canadian graduates through the Youth Employment Strategy.  In addition, the City of Welland and the Eastern Cape’s Mnquma Municipality have both agreed to enter into a formal twinning agreement to share sector-specific information, best practices, and general knowledge.

With particular emphasis on sustainable tourism and entrepreneurship, both core competencies of Niagara College, the SSD project looks to create significant impact on communities across the Eastern Cape while building institutional capacity within Eastern Cape Technikon (ECT), and ultimately within the merged institution of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) of Technology and Science.  Young Canadian professionals have been an integral part in strengthening partnerships and engaging communities, as well as providing a hands-on international learning experience for recent graduates.  By bringing the enthusiasm, creativity, and expertise of interns, the Team aims to assist community based organizations in innovative and holistic ways. 

It is paramount to create synergies and build mutually beneficial partnerships with local partners; a key goal of the SSD project is to initiate and foster key relationships with local community based organizations, as well as private and public sector involvement, to enhance ECT’s community outreach mandate.  The project works closely with the Eastern Cape Tourism Board, local municipalities (Buffalo City and Mnquma), institutions with which ECT will merge in July (Border Technikon and University of the Transkei), HIV/AIDS initiatives such as the Ikhwezi Lokusa HIV/AIDS Wellness Centre , the Steve Biko Foundation and Sosebenza Sonke, as well as The Business Place and TABEISA (European Union-funded Technical and Business Education in South Africa), which are entrepreneurial development centres.

While maintaining a strong focus on previously disadvantaged groups and the currently unemployed, the SSD project looks to foster an environment at ECT that is responsive to social and economic trends, is a leader in learnerships,  and provides opportunities for students to gain skills and experience needed to succeed in the labour market.   The results of gender analyses are consistently incorporated into project strategy in order to establish a gender-sensitive lens through which activities are planned and implemented.

With international best practices, a philosophy of participatory planning, and a management team passionate about the potential of the Eastern Cape, the SSD project strives to be an agent of positive social change within the community.

For more information, please contact our International Project Specialist at interns@niagaracollege.ca.