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“A mind that is learning is a free mind and freedom demands the responsibility of learning” – J. Krishnamurti. What is the essence of education in our modern society amid the emerging, unprecedented, present-day circumstances? On 27 November 2020, third-year students from the University of the Free State (UFS) not only sought to inspire the youth in Kestell and bring them messages of hope, but also actively engaged them on how to be equipped with the necessary skills that would help them surf through the rapidly advancing world economics and the changing labour-market demands.
The collaboration with other expert stakeholders created a platform for significant conversation about alternative skills training that is designed to successfully address the current economic needs, thus enabling education to thrive and serve the intended purpose, which would ultimately manifest in effective transformation within communities. The UFS Qwaqwa Campus Community Engagement office coordinated the teamwork, comprising the Free State Department of Social Development, Maluti TVET College, the Free State School of Nursing, AGAPE Foundation for Community Development, Japie Lepele Foundation, the Riverside Finishing School, and Advance Academy.
TVET education allows students to progress in fields that suit them best and at the same time acquire skills needed for the future world of work. Information Technology (IT) students and staff members shared encouraging testimonies of their education experience and employment. The academy presented their finishing school programme to encourage learners to complete their secondary education even after they have suffered some interruptions. Although there are currently many challenges facing education in our semi-rural areas – such as Kestell – that result in lack of access to education and insufficient resources, civil partnerships like these are supporting and enabling communities in their quest to find their own solutions.
Race, technology, and maritime labour in the 19th century
2016-06-23
Prof John T. Grider
“When employers
impose
worker identity,
it creates problems.”
What does identity mean to people today, and how is it formed? Religion, politics, race, ethnicity, and gender make up individual and community identity. However, Prof John Grider (University of Wisconsin – La Crosse) is of the opinion that employment moulds our identity, since we spend so much time on the job.
Prof Grider joined the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ) on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses to discuss his research on the maritime industry, published in his book, Foreign Voyage - Pacific Maritime Labour Identity: 1840 to 1890. “When employers impose worker identity, it creates problems,” he said. Particularly, this “creates instability in communities, and a vulnerability and insecurity amongst the employees”.
To illustrate his point, Prof Grider expanded on the history of 19th-century Atlantic sailors, a highly-skilled workforce, who failed to adapt to changes in their labour environment. Initially, the sea-faring community was very diverse racially. However, as the Pacific, and particularly Asian, marine community gained precedence, this tide turned to such an extent that, in 1886, the Atlantic sailors formed their own Coastal Seamen’s Union in San Francisco, causing a split between Asian and non-Asian sailors. Atlantic sailors had failed to integrate with the new technology of the day (steam power), nor had they accepted the demographic changes that flooded their community rapidly with cheap labour from Chinese shores.
Prof Grider highlighted the need to maintain an adaptable mentality in the ever- and rapidly-changing labour world, since division amongst workers could lead only to further exploitation of the workforce.