8 July 2003

Create SA, the Media Advertising, Publishing, Printing and Packaging Sector Education and Training Authority's (MAPPP SETA) creative industries skills development programme, has been launched in partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture with funding from the Department of Labour's national skills fund.

Create SA was formed to develop a new approach to education and skills training for those involved in a wide range of creative industries including visual arts and craft; design; music; the performing arts; heritage; film, video and multimedia production; technical production services for events and arts and culture management.

Training programmes have been designed to meet the specific needs of participants. For example, an artist or crafter may need help with marketing their product, assistance with legal issues or basic business skills in order to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. They may also need to upgrade their skills.

The goal of Create SA is simple: To invest in the sector's most critical resource, people. While it is hoped that some learners will find jobs at the end of their training, the aim of the organisation is also to maximise the learners' ability to be self-sufficient and give them the skills needed to create sustainable work for themselves.

Create SA believes that South Africa's creative industries have the potential to develop into a major growth industry in the local economy and be competitive in the global marketplace.

Dawn Robertson, Create SA programme Director, said: "The support of this project by the Department of Labour's National Skills Fund demonstrates the conviction by government that the creative industries have the potential to develop into a major growth industry, be competitive and most importantly create sustainable work and meaningful livelihoods for thousands of South Africans. Never before in this sector has an initiative of this nature or magnitude been implemented. Create SA has set up the systems and we are ready to roll!"

Create SA is currently implementing 14 learnerships and a large number of associated skills programmes across the country. Learnerships are essentially work-based training programmes developed by Seta and registered with the Department of Labour. They comprise a theoretical and a practical, work-based component.

The Department of Labour requires that every learnership leads to a qualification registered on the National Qualifications Framework. Skills programmes are shorter training courses.

Those eligible for the Create SA programme include freelance or self-employed workers in the creative industries as well as new entrants into the labour market, from school leavers to the unemployed.

Create SA hopes that 6 000 people from around the country would have benefited from this ambitious programme by 2005. Training providers and workplaces are invited to apply to Create SA should they wish to be involved in learnerships and skills programmes.

More information about the organisation and its programme is available on the Create SA website: www.createsa.org.za

Source: Createsa

	Skills training projects on course