Changing Lives, a non-profit organisation founded by Gugulethu’s Mzukisi Kuse, is making a name for itself by training and placing many students in the hospitality industry.
Mr Kuse’s organisation provides employment opportunities to residents of previously disadvantaged communities, in both urban-rural and rural areas in the Western Cape. “We do this through skills development and placements in various corporate and governmental institutions.
“Changing Lives specialises in the hospitality industry and has been providing opportunities since its inception for chefs, food and beverage managers, barmen, restaurant managers to mention a few,” Mr Kuse told Vukani.
Changing Lives has been working closely with different corporation which have been helping them with some of their projects.
“In 2017 and 2018, Nedbank funded over 60 youths in different hospitality training programmes. We picked children from areas like Khayelitsha, Langa, Gugulethu, Philippi and Delft, today most of those are gainfully employed,” said Mr Kuse.
He said they are now recognised by companies like Crown National, Tsogo Sun, Protea Hotel and P&O Cruises who constantly dig into their database to find trainees who they then employ.
A group of youths that started their course towards the end of 2018 will be finishing next month and Mr Kuse is excited because they have already been offered placements where they will complete practicals at these hotels.
Mr Kuse said the youths have been trained in corporate readiness, financial fitness, small business management and leadership skills.
“ As a forward thinking organisation, Changing Lives noted with grave concern the number of drop outs in many learnership programmes.
This was caused mainly by lack of transport money. This has become a major problem and Changing Lives is bridging that gap by providing transportation money to all its pupils.