Careful recruitment of skilled self starters in informal businesses, SHINTSHA Projects have assisted the growth of business to generate greater income and employ others.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: HWSETA SHINTSHA NVC Project

SHINTSHA Projects have proved a successful methodology for promoting Youth Livelihood by supporting young entrepreneurs to grow their attempts at income generation into a business.

In support of the South African Governments National Skills Development Strategy and specifically to improve small business development amongst young people in poverty stricken environments, the HWSETA approved funding to implement the SHINTSHA New Venture Creation Project in October 2008. The HWSETA SHINTSHA Venture Creation Project built on the best practices developed through four previous SHINTSHA projects. A new methodology was developed and significant reliance was placed on the support of participating Further Education and Training Colleges (also known as FET Colleges), Small Enterprise Development Agency (seda) and the SHINTSHA new venture methodology.

Memorandums of Agreement were signed with 19 public FET Colleges to deliver practical business skills training to 439 young entrepreneurs from poverty stricken environments in both urban and rural settings.  These young entrepreneurs had already demonstrated their entrepreneurial flair by initiating their own micro enterprises in their local communities.  The intention of the HWSETA SHINTSHA New Venture Project was to support them to improve their business skills and income generation capabilities to a point where it would be relieving the pressure on government social support for them and their dependants.

Practical business skills training was provided by the public FET Colleges over a six month period.  A Skills Programme was based on the nationally registered New Venture Creation NQF Level 2 Learnership.  FET Colleges also presented a variety of carefully chosen life skills programmes to further develop the aspirant young business persons.

A partnership agreement with the Small Enterprise Development Agency  (seda) was the other cornerstone of the revised implementation plan.  seda provided coaching and mentoring to the young entrepreneurs during the FET College training phase as well as for the 12 months after the completion of the training.

Project results indicate that 439 persons started the programme in October 2008.  The classroom training ended in March 2009 with 394 young entrepreneurs still attending.  95% of those who completed the training had operational businesses as at December 2009.

SHINTSHA PROJECTS

Since June 2007 when the first SHINTSHA New Venture Creation project was initiated, 902 entrepreneurial learners have been targeted for SHINTSHA projects in partnership with SETAs (who have elected to fund these projects). SETAs were approached for a funding partnership by the SHINTSHA Project Manager. These project partnerships below include New Venture Creation Business Skills Training and seda Hand Holding.

seda SHINTSHA Project Phase One with 100 learners and 5 FET Colleges from June 2007

MQA SHINTSHA Project with 123 learners with 2 private providers and one FET College from August 2007

W&RSETA SHINTSHA Project with 100 learners and 5 FET Colleges from May 2008

 MQA SHINTSHA Project Phase Two with 140 learners with 3 private providers from August 2008
 HWSETA SHINTSHA Project with 439 learners with 19 FET Colleges from September 2008
MERSETA SHINTSHA Project with 80 learners with 4 FET Colleges from January 2010