Inspired and eager to succeed

The last group of Bake for Profit students have been a huge source of blessing and encouragement to FCD staff and trainers. Each learner has successfully started their baking business, with Magdelena Strys literally taking the cake, topping the charts by meeting her weekly targets from week 1 of the course.

In addition to baking theory and practical sessions, this group of students were fortunate to participate in job shadows at several local bakeries. which gave them the valuable experience of discovering first hand the thrill of mass production while experimenting with some new skills and techniques. Our gratitude goes to the following bakeries for opening their doors (and hearts) to FCD:

• Bea’s Rusks
• Francor’s
• The Velvet Cake Company
• Tessa’s Bakery
• Pick ‘n Pay Graanendal Bakery

Students returned with smiles and enthusiasm saying:

“I enjoyed myself so much and feel proud to have achieved the success that I have. At my job shadow, I discovered the importance of space and advance preparation. I also realise that I need to improve on the packaging I use,” Magdalena Strys.

“I enjoyed mixing, baking and decorating in the Pick ‘n Pay bakery. I realised just how hard the baking staff work, lifting all those heavy trays. This helped me to see that if I want something in life, I need to work hard for it”, Brenda Meyer.

“In future I’m going to need a helper, as working in a team is better that working alone. I was surprised to see how hard and fast the bakers work”, Grace Falake.

Dawn Kapp and Phillida Paulse visited Francor’s bakery for their job shadow and performed so impressively that they were both invited to return for employment – which, much to trainer, Elaine du Toit’s delight, they respectfully declined.

Hellen Chidawanyika took job shadowing to a new level. So enthralled was she about the learning opportunity, that she tried to record Tessa’s precious trade secrets in her own little black book. Fortunately she discovered the error of her ways before being tossed to the curb. She went on to absorb everything she could and was delighted to discover the beauty of ganache.

All in all, we are delighted by the success of our first round of Bake for Profit learner job shadows. Our students made us proud indeed.

The course was closed off on Thursday with the learners business plan presentations and feedback about the impact that the course had on their lives.

Hellen Chidawanyika, a young mother, seeking to provide a better future for herself and her children, works daily as a waitress at the Spur – rising at 4am daily to bake so that she can be ready to drop her children off at school before heading off to work  – where she is building up a great clientele for her muffins. She says that the Life Skills have equipped her to make appropriate decisions for her life. She was relieved to be able to share “her story” for the first time, and knows that she can now think positively about herself.

Brenda Meyer says that she’s learnt “how to behave myself because I am short-tempered”. The session on Conflict really helped me.

Phillida Paulse says that the course helped her to let go of emotional issues that she’d been “holding” onto.

Theresa Karelse says that the course helped her to overcome the fear of the future. She’s currently working for a biscuit baking company, but is looking forward to increasing the quantities that she is baking from home. She loves sport and spends a lot of time selling vetkoek on the sportsfield.

The course was closed off with learners business plan presentations and feedback about the impact that the course had on their lives.

Hellen Chidawanyika, a young mother from Kraaifontein, seeking to provide a better future for herself and her children, works as a waitress – rising at 4am daily to bake so that she can be ready to drop her children off at school before heading off to work  – where she is building up a great clientele for her muffins. She says that the Life Skills have equipped her to make appropriate decisions for her life. She was relieved to be able to share “her story” for the first time, and knows that she can now think positively about herself.

Baking students receive on-going support in the form of mentorship sessions giving the past students opportunities to share their joys and frustrations and seek solutions to problems being faced. Industry specialists, like Lucy Nenguke, are invited to demonstrate skills and techniques not included in the course curriculum.

FCD’s vision is not only to equip their learners with the values and attitudes they need to find employment (whether  self-employment or other), but to embark on a journey with each student. We believe that it’s important to support our learners once they have completed their training and follow up with them on a quarterly basis for at least 12 months.  During this time, we encourage them to actively follow the job searching guidelines that they’ve been equipped with, while we also promote their CV’s with local employers looking for staff.

A group of Office Admin learners recently celebrated the end of their course and are looking forward to finding employment in office admin functions. They too had the opportunity of participating in job shadows in and around Durbanville. On completion of his job shadow at Durbanville’s NG Kerk, Charlton Isacks said that the experience taught him the value of being punctual and willing to learn;  “and to forget the words ‘I DON’T KNOW’ -  ask and you shall receive!  My goal is to become the best Office Administrator any company could ever have.”

Local Businesses are invited to participate in our job shadow programme, not only as an investment in our community, but also as an opportunity to assess staff for future potential recruitment needs.

FCD’s Job Readiness course equips learners for the retail environment. We’re currently training up to 16 students per month on pre-employment life skills, customer service, point of sale and basic computer skills.

As a non-profit with a vision to uplift the unemployed in the Durbanville area, FCD relies on the financial support of the community in order to offer affordable training to the unemployed. Operating as an affiliate of Learn to Earn, with the motto of “a hand up, not a hand down”, learners are required to pay a small commitment fee to ensure their full buy-in to the process.

Training courses being run on an ongoing basis are:

• Bake for Profit, a 9 week course, twice a week for R300
• Job Readiness, a full-time 3 week course for R200
• Office Admin, a full-time 10 week course for R400