Service workers pick up new skills
Service workers pick up new skills
VUT Cleaner and Gardner respectively: Ms Vivian Dunywa and Ms Penny Nchabeleng
Puleng Maphisa
Two of the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Service Workers have added a feather to their skills profile by attending flower arrangement training.
Ms Penny Nchabeleng, (garden services), and Ms Vivian Dunywa, (cleaning services) joined the National Flower Training Institute for a three-day basic flower arrangement training. The training was fully paid for by Ms Kediemetse Mokotsi, Director of Marketing and Public Relations: Corporate Affairs. Throughout the training, they were exposed to various aspects pertaining to botanical knowledge. They learned how to cut and hold them, the amount of water required to grow them as well as the different kind of treatment that each flower needs.
They said that this was a great opportunity for them and that their new skills could be utilized by the internal departments of VUT to reduce costs of buying flowers from external suppliers for special events of the institution. Income generated internally would assist them to practice what they have learned and create an opportunity for further training and development in this area. “I am grateful to have been given such an opportunity to broaden my scope and link my garden services skills with flower arrangement as an output of what I plant and grow in our gardens at VUT”, said Ms Nchabeleng. “I appreciate the opportunity and the exposure in flower arrangement. This is a skill that I will be able to use after retiring from VUT,” said Ms Dunywa.
Our ultimate goal is to transfer skills to other colleagues by showing them the techniques involved in flower arrangement. This dream could only come true through a sponsorship of R1 700 per person to accord us to attend advanced training at the Institute.
In closing they thanked the office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Gordon Zide, who is an advocate for career advancement of service workers, the Human Resources Department for encouraging staff to attend skills training, Projects and Services as well as Corporate Affairs Departments for believing in them and the full support they have given them throughout the training period.
They said that after each training they would bring flowers to the offices as a token of thanks and also to show off their new skills.