Contour Training Academy Seeks To Alleviate Youth Unemployment And Poverty
Contour Training Academy Seeks To Alleviate Youth Unemployment And Poverty. Contour Training Academy was established in 2010 with the aim to provide high quality and relevant training within the conservation and tourism sector. CTA has more than 30 years cumulative conservation experience in both training and protected area management. Its aim is to bring about a unique experience in conservation training whilst sharing the beauty of the Cape Floristic Region with its clients through eco-tourism.
Everything it does is inspired by the high levels of poverty in the society; it therefore aims to challenge the status quo through the conservation and promotion of local environment whilst developing, supporting and employing local people.
Contour Training Academy in partnership with Cape Wilderness College is embarking on a social responsibility drive with the aim to make a difference through Youth Development within the Theewaterskoof Municipality. This Municipality is the largest within the Overberg District and experiences a high number of unemployment. According to Statistics South Africa the Municipality has a population of over 108 000 people. The youth unemployment rate in the municipality is at 19.80% and those who have finished matric are just over 20% whereas those with no education at all make 5% of the population and those privileged enough to attend higher education are just over 7%. The agricultural sector is the main employer in the town; however tourism has the greatest potential in being one of the major contributors to the economy of the region.
This Programme is aimed at making a difference by identifying unemployed youth from previously disadvantaged background. The selection process includes a bootcamp in the wilderness, training in Field Ranging, life skills and business management. The programme is conducted over a year and the learners get placed with various partner organisations in the conservation industry operating in the area.
Using its base camp at its Cape Wilderness College it provides both accredited and non-accredited training. The duration of training varies from a minimum of three days if non- accredited to a maximum of 12 months for a learnership program. The College has rustic accommodation, lecture room and is situated in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve where the learners are given an opportunity to be in contact with nature.
