Quarry Heights KZN BEST Game (Charity funded training)

Partner(s):

Communities from various parts of South Africa benefit from SAIE’s business development training administered by Laura Baylis autonomously. Laura Baylis is a free lance instructor involved in the administration of SAIE’s training programmes worldwide. Laura trains members of the community at grass-roots level to learn how to start and run their own businesses. This training took place in Quarry Heights, Durban, KwaZulu Natal. The Durban is an ideal area for entrepreneurship development training. This is because it is a rapidly growing urban area and is one of the busiest ports in Africa with a good rail network linking into Southern Africa. Sugar refining is the main industry. Sheep, cattle, dairy, citrus fruits, corn, sorghum, cotton, bananas, and pineapples are also raised. There is an embryonic KwaZulu-Natal wine industry. In addition to sugar refining, industries (located mainly in and around Durban) include textile, clothing, rubber, fertilizer, paper, vehicle assembly and food-processing plants, tanneries, and oil refineries. There are large aluminum-smelting plants at Richards Bay, on the central coast. The province produces considerable coal (especially coke) and timber. About 82% of the population is black. During apartheid, a large percentage were forced to live in Bantu homelands (Bantustans), which had a subsistence economy based on cattle raising and corn growing.

Our Involvement:

Beyond the regular, formalized long term programs like BEST Game and BusinessVENTURES, SAIE business development expertise is also leveraged through independent agents as “exclusive projects”. Because of the irregular character of the exclusive projects, they do not have an established, ongoing program implementation mechanism, thus “exclusive projects.” In most cases, independent agents conduct the training after receiving master trainer training from SAIE. In other cases, SAIE service providers and staff may conduct the training on behalf of the firm. The training is usually customized to meet the unique characteristics of the recipient groups.

Project Progress:

13 entrepreneurs completed the BEST Game training in Quarry Heights. The first group received training on the 7th - 8th & 27th – 28th November while the second Group received training on the 20th – 21st November and 18th – 19th December 2006.

The first group of training went very well. The attendance was good and the group was enthusiastic. Some of the practicals didn’t work out so well because in the allotted time it was raining heavily most days and so the people did not get out to sell their products.

In the second group for some reason a number of the trainees did not complete the training. Tracey ran a catering business as her practical which was always a desire for her but she never had the reason to start it. Now it was so successful she considered to continue on with it after the training was completed.

Funder:

Product:

Special Projects

Location:

KwaZulu-Natal