Partners and Associates

 

Partnership for the Common Good

Some Catholic schools in South Africa are classified  as ‘Public Schools on Public Property’ according to the South African Schools Act (1996).  This public/private partnership is supported by a legal agreement between the MEC for Education in each province and the owner of the school who could be a Diocese Religious Congregation.

To find out more on Partnership for the Common Good, please download the pdf here.

Thabiso Skills Institute

The Thabiso Skills Institute (TSI) is a value-adding skills development support agency for faith-based skills development centres. These centres contribute to improving the lives of people living in the poorest and most marginalised communities by providing much needed practical skills training to youth and the unemployed.

The role of TSI is to create an enabling and conducive environment that assists the skills development centres to function as centres of excellence in skills development, employment creation and poverty alleviation.

Vision:

The TSI’s vision is for faith-based skills development centres to work together to offer quality skills development and training that meets the physical intellectual, moral, spiritual and social needs of learners.

Mission:

The TSI’s Mission is to promote and support good practice in faith-based skills development and training for the common good of learners and their communities. The Institute is committed to justice, solidarity and compassion in its service delivery to people most in need as well as in its engagement with broader society.

TSI Objectives

• Assist in accessing skills development funding.
• Source or design skills development programmes.
• Co-ordinate and streamline the administration, management and delivery of educational and training programmes.
• Provide centralised assistance on accreditation, certification and quality assurance.
• Facilitate communication, networking and resource sharing.
• Develop and maintain a centralised depository of skills development and training materials.
• Assist in skills development and further training for affiliated centre managers and staff.
• Assist in career guidance and job creation opportunities for learners.
• Provide centralised monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
• Broker strategic partnerships.

The skills development centres affiliated with TSI vary in size and in their skills development focus. They range from small-scale, rural centres offering adult basic education and training (ABET) to large-scale, urban centres delivering accredited learning programmes. The skills programmes offered include:

• Welding
• Motor Mechanics
• Basic Business and Accounting Skills
• Computer Training
• Electrical Installation and Repair
• Sewing, Cooking and Catering
• Carpentry
• Bricklaying
• Plumbing
• Appliance Repair
• Upholstery
• Agriculture

In addition to these practical skills, many centres augment these learning programmes with additional training in Life Skills – living with and managing HIV/AIDS – and Entrepreunurial Skills, including New Venture Creation.

TSI seeks to source, collate and develop skills development programmes that meet the diverse needs of the centres by ensuring that programmes are designed for flexibility and responsiveness, and by not assuming that “one-size-fits-all”.

It maintains an open-minded approach that actively considers creative, responsive and effective options that support networking, the sharing of good practice and the delivery of high quality learning and sustainable livelihoods programmes.

TSI works to leverage resources in order to expand its capacity to provide innovative services, while implementing sound fiscal principles and ethical practices.

TSI is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), with national headquarters in Booysens, Johannesburg. It operates in conjunction with the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE), which has provided educational services and support to South African schools since 1985.

To download the TSI newsletter and the documents related, please click on their titles below.

• TSI Skills Development News – Volume 14, June 2011
• TSI Skills Development News – Volume 1
• TSI Skills Development News – Volume 2
• TSI Skills Development News – Volume 3
• TSI Skills Development News – Volume 4
• TSI Skills Development News – Volume 5
• TSI Skills Development News – Volume 6
• TSI News Updates: April - May 2010
• Nzimande Acts on non-performing Setas: 3 June 2010
• Police net seven for operating illegal colleges: 24 June 2010

Catholic Education Services

CIE Education Services (Pty) Ltd (CIE ES) was established in June 2003, as a training, consultancy and publishing business in the education and training sector.

Core Business

Our core business is the design, development and delivery of training programmes and services, consultancy and publication of resources serving the needs of the education and training sector.

Operating within the CIE group of enterprises, as a wholly owned subsidiary of CIE Investment Company Ltd, enables the company to draw on the experience, expertise and intellectual capital within the group and the broader Catholic schools network to develop custom-designed services to meet the needs of its clients.

Our Vision

To be an innovative, leading provider of quality products and services.

Our Mission

To contribute to the transformation of leadership, management and practice in education and training through a sustainable and values-based approach.

Our Values

• Innovation
• Relevance
• Responsiveness
• Development oriented
• Sustainability