The City’s Nyanga Job Centre is being developed into a centre for furniture- and wood-related industries as part of its commitment to create opportunities for residents to improve their vocational skills and become entrepreneurs.
As part of this commitment, the City approved the transfer of R500 000,00 to the Furniture Technology Centre Trust (Furntech) for the training and incubation of furniture-related businesses at this facility in Nyanga.
“Providing previously marginalised areas with an infusion of new technology to either start businesses or to make businesses in these areas more competitive is a key focus of the City’s policy of redress. Furntech offers tangible economic opportunities and this programme is part of our commitment to building an Opportunity City. We look forward to the positive impact that this project will have on the livelihoods of the people trained and supported through this programme,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic, Environmental and Spatial Planning, Alderman Belinda Walker.
Furntech introduces technology, infrastructure and training suited to market demand and ensures that the necessary skills are developed in order to operate the technology safely and effectively. The woodworking equipment in the centre will also be available to residents operating woodworking enterprises in the community, which will provide a significant capital injection into this area.
The Furntech Centre will offer training and support for up to 100 individuals in the first year.
Furntech offers training in the fields of:
- cabinet-making
- wood machining and joinery
- wood finishing
- upholstery
These training opportunities are offered as learnerships and short courses, such as making and installing kitchen units and built-in cupboards, business skills, and machine-based or single skills-based training. These programmes offer an effective introduction into the world of work in a furniture factory.
