Johannesburg - A principal at a Gauteng school believes that every pupil has a special gift and has, for this reason, gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that they reach their full potential.
Ronalda Lucas, the principal at Forest Town School in Johannesburg, has for over a decade, used all the resources at her disposal to create opportunities for the youth.
And in an extension of this mission, the educational facility partnered with Forest on Cowie, a coffee bar and beauty salon that the school built, to allow pupils to receive the training that will improve their employment chances once they enter the working world.
“We aim to inspire each learner to persevere and develop into a person of self-worth and dignity and to instil in each learner a system of values in accordance with our constitution, while providing support to our parents,” Lucas told The Saturday Star this week.
“We all have gifts, we just unwrap them at different times.”
As part of the partnership, which officially started in January of last year, pupils at the school have undergone training on six skills as well as academic subjects. These include Sewing, Arts and Crafts, Office Administration, Beauty & Nails, English, Afrikaans, Mathematics and Life Skills.
The pupils are aged between 12 and 18 years-old and after attending these classes, are placed in skills that suit their interest and ability. The educators also guide them in their final choices, which form part of the initiative’s Individual Support Plan (ISP), after they experience a variety of skills.
“Having an ISP for each learner gives them an opportunity to find their niche and strength,” Lucas explained. They develop at their own pace, and we focus on what they can do, and not what they can’t.”
This programme also aims to provide an all-encompassing support and development approach to Forest Town School’s pupils, as it focuses on social, emotional, physical and cognitive abilities.
“Each child has an individual support programme, which caters to their needs on their level within the curriculum, and we aim to educate each pupil to their maximum potential, regardless of the challenges they face on a daily basis,” said Lucas.
She added that the pupil’s working experience can potentially be included in their CV once they leave the school.
“It will be a space where learners can develop their professional experience, work ethos and specific skills-set in a safe and nurturing environment.”
Meanwhile, the creation of Forest on Cowie, the coffee bar and beauty spa which allows the pupils to gain real-life work experience, came following the assistance of the School’s Governing Body (SGB) who approached donors.
Lucas said that these donors then offered to purchase the premises for the school to create the coffee bar and beauty spa over 18 months ago.
“The SGB worked hard to realise this dream and we transformed the premises into a state-of-the-art coffee bar and beauty spa”.
She added that the criterion for admission for this learnership programme is for the school’s pupils who placed in the top two for beauty and nails as well as hospitality and coffee making. “We are unfortunately only able to assist the learners who attend Forest Town school, if funding is available.”
And while this learnership initiative is still somewhat in its infancy, the desire to prepare Forest Town School’s pupils for employment has been a lifelong passion for Lucas.
“Having worked in special education for the past 30 years, I have always been determined to create opportunities for the youth, as they should never be left out,” she explained.
“Forest Town Special School deals with pupils who are vulnerable, and I saw that we need to assist them by making the transition from pupil to work easier.
“With this initiative, the pupils would be able to receive real life experience and become more confident when being employed.”
Meanwhile, back in 2010, Lucas registered Wep@Work, a program which offered pupil’s learnerships to those who completed The Work Experience Program at Forest Town School. “These were 18-years-olds and were school leavers with no hope of employment in the outside working world, but by giving them an additional year at Wep@Work, this really allowed them to mature and strengthen their confidence,” the principal explained.
“We created relationships with a few strong companies who employed about 18 learners in various admin positions, sheltered employment, mail rooms, beauty spas and takeaway restaurants.”
The programme was such a success that Forest Town School currently employs three pupils from Wep@Work programme to manage Forest on Cowie. This includes an IT assistant, a beauty therapist and a barista. This is in addition to the four selected pupils who are currently undertaking their learnerships at the coffee bar and beauty salon. Lucas added that this initiative has also received the support of the community as a whole.
“Over the past 13 years, it has been clear that the additional year has just created more confident and employable youth,” she said.
“The pupils who have stayed the additional year have been successfully placed and the employers have only given us positive feedback.
“Forest On Cowie is supported by Forest Town School staff as well as the Forest Town residents and surrounding areas.”