RETRENCHMENT AND FURTHER TRAINING
INTRODUCTION
Losing one’s job is not easy, especially if you are the main or only source of income
for the family. It can trigger a lot of negative feelings, which, if not taken care of, can
snowball and deprive you of all sense of hope in the future, which will only lessen
your chances of getting employed again.
SO WHAT CAN I DO?
It is necessary to take charge of your life again as soon as possible. Ensure that your
employer gives you a certificate of service. Explore all possibilities that could maybe
assist you in entering the world of work again, eg.:
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Register with your nearest Labour Centre as unemployed person. Your
details will be placed on a computerized job-matching system. In this way jobmatching is made easier for you.
Apply for posts in advertisements
Start your own business
Consider re-training in another sector of the labour market that is not
retrenching. You might even be trained in a scarce or critical skill (skills that
our country really need) and in this way find work more easily!
This pamphlet was compiled to tell you more about the option of further training or
re-training. You can either improve your qualifications for the job you lost, get extra
skills in the job you lost (multi-skilling), or you can choose another career field and
get training in it (re-training). In this way you can multiply your chances of entering
into employment/self-employment and becoming self-supportive again.
Please contact your union representative about the possibility of obtaining a training
ticket. If an agreement was reached between your union and your employer, it would
mean that a training ticket could be issued to you to get training/re-training and in that
way improve your employability. It would further mean that 50% of the cost of the
training would be paid by the Department of Labour, depending on the availability of
the funds.
Further training will also round you off as a person and help you to enjoy your next
job more. Our country needs highly skilled, productive people to ensure economic and
employment growth. The Department of Labour can help you to become one of these
highly skilled productive people. Let us look at your options for training.
OPTIONS
Training is available in most of the economic sectors and is presented by
organisations right across the country. Some of the economic sectors areAgriculture
Building
Catering/Hotel
Clerical/Administration
Clothing
Computer/Word Processing
Driver
Electrical/Electronic
Furniture/Forestry
Hairdressing
Metal
Leather
Motor
Sales Techniques
Security
Civil (eg building roads and bridges)
Services (eg porter, nurse, waiter)
Needlework
Handcraft
Printing
Plastic
Mining
Training courses supported by the Department of Labour are free of charge for the
unemployed person. The Department raises a skills levy from employers, which is
then used for raising the skills of the citizens of our country.
CHOOSING WHICH TRAINING TO DO
If you have already been in a career, it may be difficult to decide which direction to
choose next, that is further training in your current career field, training in some skills
that will help you find a job in a career field that is growing, adding extra skills to
what you have already, or just what to do next. You may also need help in choosing a
suitable field of training, or information on those careers where workers are needed
(scarce skills), as well as on the training available. Contact the employment services
staff at the provincial offices of the Department of Labour, who will help you free of
charge. Addresses of the provincial offices of the Department of Labour can be found
in this pamphlet.
Please note that the Department of Labour will assist you in your endeavours to be
trained and to find a job, but it cannot be guaranteed.
FRANCOIS’ SECTION TO PLEASE PUT IN NEW ADDRESSES AND TEL NRS
OF PROVINCIAL OFFICES.