Youth from the North West, who have completed Cultural Tourist Guiding Training in Khayakulu village in the Bojanala District Municipality, have been awarded tour guide certificates.
Tourist Guiding and Regulatory Services Director in the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, Gabriel Dichabe, applauded the 23 young people, who will now join the tourism sector as culture tour guides.
In collaboration with the Amahlubi Traditional Council, the department hosted the certification ceremony on Tuesday for the youth who successfully participated in the Tourist Guiding Training Programme.
The training in culture guiding was pitched at NQF Level 2 Skills Programme, which incorporates elements of entrepreneurship and business skills training to provide students with some knowledge on how to start their own businesses and various training opportunities like customer care, tour guiding and communication skills.
Dichabe said the tourism industry faces numerous challenges, mainly the lack of transformation.
“The department is therefore taking practical steps in training unemployed youth as tour guides so they can enter the sector. The focus is specifically on unemployed youth in the villages and townships across the province.
“As the department, we are excited to be part of this advantage that offers young people an opportunity to participate and benefit from the development opportunities in the tourism sector. The exposure of these young people through this programme has empowered them with the experience that will potentially secure future work placement at various tourist attractions within the province,” said Dichabe.
Addressing the trainees on behalf of the Amahlubi Traditional Council, Prince Lutho Zibi, said skills development is an essential instrument to address poverty alleviation and job creation.
He described the Tourist Guiding Programme as part of a social entrepreneurship vehicle that will reengineer and reignite the economic development of Khayakulu village.
“We are exclusively fortunate as Amahlubi to have received such phenomenal support on youth development from government. We will forever embrace this opportunity and we urge our trainees to make sure that something positive comes from this training,” he said.
Prince Zibi described the young people of Khayakulu as trailblazers in the economic development space.
“As Amahlubi, we work extremely hard to make sure that our young people are involved in programmes that generate economic spin-offs for the entire community,” he said.
He relayed gratitude to the commitment displayed by Ditshwanelo Makhudu, an accredited tour guide facilitator, skilled and motivated the learners throughout training.
“We will retain and maintain the relationship with her going forward to develop our young people economically,” said Zibi.
One of the training beneficiaries, Lindile Mjekula, said the facilitator made the training thought-provoking when she motivated them to use what they have to tell cultural tourism stories.
Mjekula said the trainees made a commitment to register Amahlubi Tours that will deliver only the best and champion youth development programmes.
The department will in the next financial year continue with cultural tour guide training in other districts in the province. – SAnews.gov.za
