Prisma Training Solutions together with Harmony Gold Mine partnered on a new community development project, that offered entrepreneurial skills to the youth of Khuma located in the Northwest province.

The partnership between Prisma Training Solution and Harmony Gold Mine

Prisma is a specialist training service provider to the mining sector. We were established in 2007 and we have trained more than 40 000 learners in underground and opencast in mining, team development and supervisor development. Harmony Gold Mine, is a world-class gold mining and exploration company with a copper footprint, operates in South Africa and Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s premier new gold-copper regions. With more than 70 years in the industry, Harmony is an experienced emerging-market gold miner.

This partnership aims to develop, uplift and transfer knowledge, skills, and attributes to both the employed and unemployed community members of Khuma, Matlosana area. Communities are made up of families, with entrepreneurial potential but sometimes with no access to training and financial means, and we do our best to help communities achieve sustainable growth and development.

The objective of this project is to empower the employed, unemployed and entrepreneurs with skills required to run a business, financial support in the form of SME loans, job creation and employability.

Over 60 community members were invited / selected based on the following criteria:

• Ages from early to mid-twenties (20’s)
• Valid South African ID
• Business owners
• Matriculants
• Unemployed persons

The course was conducted over a period of 10 days where different topics were covered. In attendance was selected Harmony Gold Mine employees and Merafong Community members.

The entrepreneurial skills included but were not limited to, matching new venture opportunity to market needs, applying basic skills of customer service, managing finances for a new venture and time management. Further skills taught were business plan and portfolio of evidence writing as well as identifying gaps in the market / market needs.

Harmony recruited all learners and Prisma had the pleasure and opportunity to train the learners on how to match new venture opportunities to market needs, to apply the basic skills of customer service, how to manage finances for a new venture and how to plan one’s time better.  In the practical part of the training, learners had the opportunity to advertise and expose their business to everyone in the group

The following businesses were identified during the training intervention:

• Two beauticians
• A hairstylist
• Farming business – planting and selling vegetables
• Car wash
• Clothing designer
• Livestock entrepreneur
• Cooked food entrepreneur
• Tracksuits entrepreneur

At the end of the programme a graduation ceremony was held where the learners received, certificates of attendance as well as statement of results.

The outcome of the Kuma Project

We heard from the project beneficiary as well as Harmony and Prisma representatives.

“The classes were good, and I’ve learned a lot of things and I’ve really enjoyed the course.  I love the fact that we are learning so much from this training and the facilitator makes sure that we understand everything” Odidi Seekane – Learner Khuma area.

Sheena Mangaroo-Pillay of Harmony Gold had this to say about the partnership, “Harmony is a responsible corporate citizen who is passionate about the work we do in communities in which we operate. Harmony ensures that we undertake our projects responsibly and in the most sustainable way possible, to do this we undertake educational projects as Education is the most sustainable form of livelihoods. Through the services of PRISMA we are able to achieve this in Harmony’s host communities. The standard of training provided by PRISMA is outstanding and has pleased our management and candidates. To this degree we are grateful for this and look forward to working with PRISMA for the next 3 years.’’

“In conclusion, this was a very successful intervention, and working with Harmony made the event even more enjoyable. Prisma is looking forward to working with Harmony again soon to ensure sustainability of community development programs” said Alet Visser Prisma.