Carrington Muliwa and George Mosako are just two of the graduates of Printing SA's commercial digital printing programme who have had success stories. Muliwa is also the 2017 bursary winner of a fully sponsored course by Printing SA.
Muliwa had wanted to run a printing business since his high school days. When he inherited an old broken printer and Pentium 3 laptop from his late uncle, he set about repairing them and then started his own business from home, formulating CV’s for job seekers as well as producing other printed material.
However, due to a lack of business skills, his enterprise stalled. In 2016, he began saving and eventually purchased an A24 Vinyl plotter, multi-functional heat press and a sublimation printer. His goal was to rebuild his business and provide an opportunity to further assist members in his community by assisting job seekers with well-presented and written CVs.
"Muliwa certainly showed his commitment and dedication. We are thrilled at having provided him with this opportunity where he will be given some much-needed skills to grow his business. The course included subjects such as an introduction to digital printing, inks, colour, media, finishing, and an overview of machines. We are convinced this will take his business to the next level," adds Steve Thobela, CEO of industry body, Printing SA.
2015 also saw the South African Reserve Bank win R10 000 as part of the 2015 International Day of Print competition. They requested that this be used for internal training. George Mosako, one of their employees, was chosen as a candidate.
Now having completed the programme, Mosako says, "I was ecstatic to have been granted the opportunity to not only further my skills, but also to formally graduate with a qualification that will allow me to make more of a contribution to the company."
Thobela adds, "During the latter part of 2017, a further 16 learners are expected to be enrolled in the programme from the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. I hope that more learners will become entrepreneurs after a successful completion and that more established businesses will sponsor willing candidates to develop their skill set."
Konica Minolta recently employed Brian Chauke, one of the graduates from the Printing SA commercial digital printing programme. He will be participating in a 12-month long learnership as he passed their online assessment and progressed to their first interview process. Konica Minolta’s partnership with Printing SA began in 2014, when they both created and facilitated a comprehensive training programme for 20 female business owners.
For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.printingsa.org. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook.