Ekurhuleni Metro’s Community Safety MMC, Vivien Chauke, launched the intake programme of 50 firefighters who’ll be trained at Leon Ferreira Fire Station for the next year, on Saturday, November 26.
Chauke said the programme is one of the many interventions to empower the youth.
“It anchors three areas: skills development, job creation and economic empowerment.
“This programme is a continuation of the work which began at the beginning of this calendar year with 50 learners – and will result in 200 unemployed learners being trained in the area of fire and rescue operation NQF Level 4.
“This qualification is accredited to the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress, thus improving the chances of employment on completion,” said Chauke.
The learners were selected from a pool of unemployed young people, registered on Ekurhuleni’s economic development database.
All the learners have matric and underwent a gruelling trial to determine if they meet the minimum requirement – as stipulated in the fire fighters’ policy.
DEMS Head of Department, Moshema Mosia, told the learners not to confuse the learnership with employment.
“There’s no employer-employee relationship between you and the Ekurhuleni metro. This is just training and at the end, you’ll have a certificate that’ll make you employable anywhere in the world,” said Mosia.
Head of the training academy at the Leon Ferreira Fire Station, Theresa Geldenhuys, said the 50 trainees will graduate in November next year.
