A group of 18 local entrepreneurs were able to acquire vital digital skills recently thanks to a collaboration between Stellenbosch Municipality, Stellenbosch Network, and the MiDO Foundation.

Funding received from the Stellenbosch Municipality made it possible for the entrepreneurs, who run small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMME), to complete a free Google Workspace training course presented by the MiDO Foundation. The training consisted of five sessions focused on, amongst others, setting up an e-mail account, using the calendar app to better manage a diary, setting up task lists and reminders for projects, and client feedback surveys. It was presented over a five-week period at the CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch.

One of the entrepreneurs who attended the training is Vlottenburg resident Sonia Bell, who co-owns a rabbitry.

“Before I only used Google for e-mails and for its calendar [function]. The training made me more proficient in other Google apps and will also increase efficiency in my business,” said Bell.

She also learnt how to collaborate with others on projects by using Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides.

“I no longer have to use PowerPoint if I want to create a presentation and collaborate with others. The mere fact that I now know how to share documents with others and collaborate with them, has made it so much easier for me to work with people across the world,” says Bell, who also works on a part-time basis as an assessor for the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, and as an administrator for the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations.

She has used the knowledge she gained to also experiment with Google Sheets and Google Forms, which will be useful to help her manage and keep track of financial information and stock, as well as create client enquiry forms and get feedback on the products she sells.

According to Nadine Farao, Stakeholder Relations Manager at the MiDO Foundation, the training provides entrepreneurs with a solid understanding of how to use technology effectively in their business in order to support business growth.

“In today’s digitally driven society it has become essential that we remain digitally engaged and connected, and more so for entrepreneurs. We see digital engagement and connection as burning needs for our clients and beneficiaries. This is why the foundation focuses on providing beneficiaries with the means to take the first steps towards digital literacy, which consists of mastering a few key skills,” explained Farao.

These skills include learning how to use an electronic device like a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet.

“Thereafter, we move on to the meat, if you will, of our programme which is how to use Google apps. The focus here is to familiarise participants with the platform and teach them core skills that include but are not limited to, Gmail, Forms, Slides, Docs and more. The training concludes with exercises that the participants must complete using the apps to reinforce what they have learnt.”

Reon King, who owns A1 Auto Body Repairs which is based in Cloetesville industrial area, said that when the training kicked off, he was convinced that he knew everything there was to know about Google Workspace.

“At the beginning I really thought I knew everything we were learning about, but as we went along, I realised that there was a lot that I did not know and could still learn about Google [Workspace],” he explained.

While King had been using Gmail before, he was not using other apps like the calendar function. This caused problems as he sometimes found himself rushing to an appointment he remembered at the last minute, not having enough time to prepare before seeing a client, or forgetting about admin work he needed to do, which impacted on how fast quotes were sent out.

“I didn’t really think about how the calendar could help me become better organised. I also did not use Google Forms, but now I know how useful it can be in my business. Going forward, I can do work on a client’s vehicle and set up a Google Form that I can automate to go out to that same client six months later to find out if they are still satisfied with the work I did.”

By engaging with his clients in this manner, King will also remain top of mind.

“I am really chuffed that I can use Google Forms to get more information from my clients so that I know what kinds of services they are interested in and ensure I market those services to them. I will also be able to streamline my operations. So, this training was definitely worth attending.”

Hanli Brink, Operations Director of Stellenbosch Network, said that the network decided to partner with the MiDO Foundation because of the incredible work they do to digitise businesses and learners in the greater Stellenbosch area.

“The MiDO Foundation is also a Stellenbosch Network member and we love to collaborate with our members. By doing this we can work together to grow stronger SMMEs and entrepreneurs,” added Brink.

According to Mayor Gesie van Deventer, Stellenbosch Municipality makes a point of investing in local entrepreneurs because of the contribution they make to the local economy.

“Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises are the heartbeat of our municipality’s local economy. These businesses, be they established companies, spaza shops or start-ups, employ thousands of residents and stimulate the local economy. As a responsible and caring local government, we continuously work to create a conducive environment that is safe, clean, and attractive to business and investment,” she said.

According to Crusade Malgas, Office Administrator at Bergzicht Training in Stellenbosch, she is grateful that the training she underwent has helped her to resolve the NGO’s challenge with collecting beneficiary data. Before Malgas became aware that Google Forms could be set up to collect beneficiary data, the organisation had to gather data by asking students to visit its office and complete forms in person. However, she can now create application forms online and distribute the links to students, making it more convenient for them and for her to collect information.

Now that the training has been completed, Farao is looking to local donors to help those entrepreneurs without electronic devices to acquire a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet so they can continue to apply and practice their digital skills.

“Now that the training is done, entrepreneurs will be able to test themselves and what they’ve learnt through a portfolio of evidence and follow-up examinations that they need to complete. This will ensure that the information they acquired remains top of mind and allow them to apply that information in real life after they’ve left the training environment.”

Any businesses or individuals who are able to contribute to the costs of an electronic device, donate one that is still in working order, or wish to donate a new one to help some of the entrepreneurs who do not own a device can contact Nadine Farao at 067 068 1977 or nadine@mido.org.za.

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One of the foundation’s most recent collaborations involves Entersekt, a global leader in device identity and customer authentication software, and Mindjoy, an edtech start-up that’s for kids. Through this partnership, 60 learners at Lückhoff High School have been given a unique opportunity to spend nine months acquiring essential coding and programming language skills (Python, HTML, and CSS) through small group coding projects. These skills have become crucial to many jobs as the world finds itself in the 4IR.

The pilot training programme, which will run until December this year, is funded by Entersekt, and run by Mindjoy. Each week learners will participate in an hour-long session in the Digital Hub where they will connect to coding training sessions via Zoom and the Mindjoy platform. The sessions will be facilitated by a Mindjoy coach, who could be based anywhere in South Africa. Mindjoy will also track the skills and progress of each learner and once they have completed a track, learners will earn a Mindjoy Coding Certificate.

Some of the learners that are already benefiting from the programme include Tasneem Benjamin, Kodi Calvert and Cailey van der Merwe who are all in Grade 10.

According to Tasneem, she had no idea what coding was when she decided to join the programme.

“It has actually been great learning how to code and doing group learning with other learners.”

“When I was busy with project eight, I had to figure out how to use what I had learnt to go from one quadrant to another and create shapes that I can move from one place to another place. It was difficult because I didn’t know what was going on and why things weren’t moving, but it was so exciting when I finally figured it out and could celebrate that achievement with others as well as the coach, who offers us support and is always cheering us on.”

For Kodi, coding was something she had heard about in movies and had seen people speaking about on social media.

“I’ve always heard about it, but to be able to do it in real life, that is a totally different experience. You are learning how to use a [language] that is complicated, and learning it step by step so that you can build up your skills bit by bit. In my first project I already learnt how to code a colourful line,” says an excited Kodi.

The training has opened her eyes to how she can apply the skills she is learning in future as well as the careers that learners can follow.

“It’s thrilling to learn these new things.”

“I think it would be great if we could code a specific programme that other learners can build on. Who knows, maybe one day we can start a company by using the skills we have learnt. That would be the bigger plan,” she adds.

Like Tasneem, Cailey has enjoyed the experience of self-learning and figuring out problems on her own with the support of a coach.

“I am learning a new skill that will help me access more opportunities and the digital skills I am learning I can also use in my school subjects,” says Cailey.

She believes that if more learners were able to do the programme in future that there would be an increase in youth interested in doing coding and programming after school.

“I think the further one goes in coding and the more you learn about programming, the more you want to learn and enhance your skills to get even better at it.”

According to Daniel Solomons, Executive Director of the MiDO Foundation, the organisation “doesn’t ever want to build a hub that turns into a white elephant”.

“Technology continuously evolves and one can so easily fall behind and become irrelevant if your programmes do not keep up with technology. The collaboration with Entersekt and Mindjoy allows us to work together to achieve a common goal.”

“In order to achieve this, we follow a more hands-on approach and make sure that hub programmes are streamlined and allow young people to engage with technology continuously,” says Solomons.

Gabi Immelman, the founder and CEO of Mindjoy, explains that before starting the pilot training programme, the organisation conducted a baseline survey with learners as a measure to understand perceptions around digital skills and attitudes towards pursuing programming as a career path.

“At the end of the pilot we would like to survey students again to see if there is a shift in their understanding of programming and attitudes to career paths,” says Immelman.

“Entersekt, the MiDO Foundation and Mindjoy all believe in helping students build their competencies as digital citizens to develop essential skills for the future of work, but also to support learners in having the necessary skills to access economic opportunities.”

Arno Kemp, Vice President of Transformation and Growth at Entersekt, says that the collaboration “is an undisputed recipe for digital skills education” and “digital skills supply in South Africa”.

“Our labour market is under duress, with these skills being both scarce and in high demand. This is one of the vehicles of remedy we are proud to support and nurture, with invaluable partnerships and communities at its heart,” says Kemp.

Learners and Mindjoy trainers are supported by the foundation’s Digital Hub Coordinator, Mary-Ann van der Merwe, who is responsible for managing the training schedule for this programme and preparing the venue for use by the trainers and learners. Digital Hub Coordinators are appointed at each of the foundation’s hubs to manage the space; provide support to teachers and learners when they utilise equipment, software, and the internet. Van der Merwe also helps to present and facilitate programmes.

Van der Merwe says she has noticed a marked increase in learner curiosity since they have started to learn coding and programming.

“Learners often stay after their programme session is done, with some staying 30 minutes to one hour and 30 minutes longer,” says Van der Merwe.

Solomons says that listening to the feedback from learners, it is clear that the MiDO Foundation’s philosophy of pursuing collaborations and building partnerships, as well as the dedication of partners like Entersekt and Mindjoy to providing more South African learners with digital skills, has helped the foundation increase its impact on communities beyond what it could have imagined.

“Gone are the days of doing everything all by yourself – working together and achieving a common goal together has become the norm. Since its inception in 2018 the MiDO Foundation has believed in partnerships that are relational, meaning that good relationships form the basis of good collaboration and collective success not only for those organisations involved, but specifically for our beneficiaries,” says Solomons.

The MiDO Foundation is a non-profit organisation focused on fostering digital citizenship through digital literacy and creating pathways out of poverty for its beneficiaries through partnerships and collaboration.

Photo: Grade 10 learners (from the left) Tasneem Benjamin, Kodi Calvert and Cailey van der Merwe enjoy practising their coding and programming skills in the Lückhoff High School Digital Hub. With them is Mary-Ann van der Merwe, the Digital Hub Coordinator. (Lynne Rippenaar-Moses)

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This quote is from a teacher who participated in the MiDO Foundation’s Google Level 1 training session recently and perfectly sums up what the MiDO Foundation aims to do by investing in the digital skills training of teachers. The training was presented online, with teachers able to participate from the comfort of their homes or at their schools.

The Google Level 1 training comprises five sessions, of which three took place in June and two in August due to various changes in lockdown levels during 2021. Twenty-five teachers from 12 schools completed the training and were awarded with a certificate of completion at the end of their training at a ceremony held at Gordon Secondary School. The MiDO Foundation installed a Digital Technology Hub at the school.

Main photo: Here are all the teachers who participated in the Google Level 1 training presented online. With them is Daniel Solomons (back row, sixth from the left), the Executive Director of the MiDO Foundation, and Jayden Lackay (third from the left in the front row) from the Trim Tab Foundation.

Teachers that participated in the training came from A.C.J Phakade School, Christmas Tinto Primary School, Dr. G.J Joubert Primary School, Gordon High School, Nomzamo High School, Rusthof Primary School, Rusthof High School, Simanyene High School, Silukhanyo Primary School, Sir Lowry’s Pass Primary School, Somerset Methodist Primary School and Temperance Town Primary School.

The Google Level 1 training focuses on digital competencies related to Google products. The teachers also received Chromebooks at the start of the training, which was sponsored by the Trim Tab Foundation (previously Rupert Foundation).

On the day of the certificate ceremony, Daniel Solomons, Executive Director of the MiDO Foundation, said: “We hope that the seed that we have planted in you will multiply and grow and make an impact on the lives of the young people you are teaching.”

Sonja Sass, a teacher at Gordon High School, said that she felt that the training “gave her the self-confidence as an educator to apply technology” in her classroom, something she would not have done before.

Sonja Sass from Gordon High School receives her Google Level 1 certificate from Jayden Lackay from the Trim Tab Foundation. (Lynne Rippenaar-Moses)

“It also helped me grow professionally and open myself up to the learning of new skills. It creates opportunities for creativity as well as better collaboration with others. This training has also helped a scatterbrain like myself become more organised.”

Lauren Krotz, a teacher from Rusthof High School, said that she could already apply the training she received in her classroom and that learners were benefiting from it.

Lauren Krotz from Rusthof High School receives her Google Level 1 certificate from Jayden Lackay from the Trim Tab Foundation. (Lynne Rippenaar-Moses-Moses)

“Organisation is really key for all educators,” she said. “And being able to use a calendar that has made scheduling tasks much easier, has made me a more efficient teacher.”

She also said the training was vital because in today’s world, especially as teachers are expected to be digitally literate and innovative in their teaching.

“Before starting the training I was using Google for basic things. When the course started it opened new doors for me. I discovered different apps like Google Docs, which I had no idea I could create at home and allows my colleagues to put something in the same document from a different place,” added Sibone Mtyobile, Vice Principal of Christmas Tinto Primary School.

Sibone Mtyobile, Vice Principal of Christmas Tinto Primary School, receives his Google Level 1 certificate from Jayden Lackay from the Trim Tab Foundation. (Lynne Rippenaar-Moses)

“The world is moving into a digital [future] and a paperless society and I think this course is a great way of helping teachers to move away from using paper and work together online.”

“I want to thank the MiDO Foundation and the sponsors. I heard you say earlier that there were 25 of us, but in fact there were more people because I was representing the community that I come from, so it will not only benefit me, because I am going back to show my colleagues what I have learnt and teach my learners too.”

Jayden Lackay from the Trim Tab Foundation was also present to congratulate the teachers on finishing their training.

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The training will enable entrepreneurs to use Google Workspace applications effectively to manage and grow their business as well as improve client engagement.

The MiDO Foundation is the philanthropic arm of MiDO Technologies, a Stellenbosch-based company that specialises in providing digital literacy solutions in schools, the workplace, and for entrepreneurs. Ranyaka is a Stellenbosch-based urban planning social enterprise (non-profit) that works in seven provinces across South Africa and engages with communities in pursuit of holistic, sustainable, and positive socio-economic impact. Ranyaka is also the national implementation agent for the Nedbank Proud of my Town programme.

Three local entrepreneurs that benefitted from the training are Lerato Mthiya, the co-owner of a local fashion label called Yeyethu Designer Studio, Cassiem Arnolds, the owner of a pool servicing business that is based in Idas Valley, and Zane Fransman, the owner of Fransman Barbershop in Jamestown.

“I am a fashion designer from Khayamandi in Stellenbosch,” says Lerato. “However, I never got the opportunity to finish my matric. That did not discourage me from reaching my dream of owning a business, so after I graduated from the Paarl School of Skills in 2015, I decided to open my own fashion label with the help of my business partner, Bulelwa Tito. We started the business in 2017 and registered our company in late 2018, and we are still operating today producing traditional garments.”

The Google Workspace training sessions, says Lerato, have been eye-opening for him, especially since many business owners tend to pay more attention to the production side of the company and forget the key role that good administration plays in a business. He has already started using Google Docs to create client questionnaires.

“Knowing how your customers feel about your services is an important part of knowing where the business is lacking so that you can work on what to do, to give them better service. Even with the previous session, I was not aware that I could create a Google Calendar that my business partner and I could use to keep tabs on appointments with our customers.”

He encourages up-and-coming entrepreneurs to acquire digital skills and sign up for these sessions, especially now, with most things happening online.

“These skills will come in handy in getting new clients for your business and making sure your business runs smoothly,” he adds.

Cassiem, who is the owner of Arnold’s Pool Services, services swimming pools in Stellenbosch. After dropping out of school,  he spent six years at home without a job. His mom encouraged him to apply for a plumbing diploma at a skills development school.

“After graduating, I worked for a construction company for three months and decided to resign to start my own business. I am currently the only person in my business who does the swimming pool maintenance, plumbing, and all the technical work, but I recently got a lady to help me with the administrative side of the business.”

Cassiem learned about MiDO’s training sessions on social media and saw it as a great opportunity to grow his business as well as his networks.

“My experience so far with the training has been nothing but informative. For someone who started without any knowledge of Google Workspace, I have surely gained a lot of basic insight other than just Googling. The people offering the training pay attention to detail in making sure that we grasp everything they teach us. I am still learning and cannot wait to execute everything that I have learned in my business.”

One of the skills that Cassiem is currently using in his business is e-mail etiquette and it is working in his favour.

Zane, who is an owner of a local barbershop, says that the training was really good.

“I have worked on Google calendars in the past, however, I have always written down my to-do list on a piece of paper. It’s how I also set goals for my business. I wasn’t using all the Google calendar functions and was therefore not always taking action with regard to my task list. Now I use all the functions, which remind me of my daily tasks, goals, as well as events I need to attend. I’m really benefiting from making full use of the Google calendar functions as it helps me to take action.”

For more information about digital skills training offered by the MiDO Foundation, please contact Nadine Farao, Sales and Marketing Manager at MiDO Technologies at nadine@mido.co.za.

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Today, thanks to that internship, she is employed as an Assistant Administrator at Franschhoek High School in Franschhoek. “A friend told me about the training that MiDO offered to young persons to become hub coordinators at the schools where they had digital hubs,” says Abigail. She applied for the internship, was selected and soon after started MiDO’s Google Workspace training. “I learnt how to use my e-mail account effectively, how to use Google Docs, and even how to create a website for the school at which I now work. I also did robotics as part of my training, which allowed me to later teach kids at our school about robotics too.”

Once she had completed her training, Abigail was placed at Franschhoek High, which houses one of MiDO’s Digital Technology Hubs. “Initially, I found it very stressful to work with the learners as I had never worked in a school environment. There were also some behavioural challenges amongst learners which I had to learn to deal with and later address, however, it taught me to also find creative ways to teach the learners and to use a reward system to encourage behaviour change. By June, I had become completely comfortable working with the learners, and they started to also engage with me more,” says Abigail of her first few months in a teaching environment.Her face lights up as she talks about the Google Workspace, drone and sound engineering training she did with the learners.

“The internship helped me improve my people’s skills as I was a very shy person before. Today I work with people more often than not, and I have also learnt how to work within teams where people have different personalities. All the training I received on how to use a computer and the software on it effectively, has helped me work faster and improve my time management skills as well.” In February 2021, Abigail’s hard work, dedication and innovation paid off when she was appointed as an Assistant Administrator at Franschhoek High. “Last year, I was responsible for creating online portfolios for the kids and moved everything we had on a paper filing system online. The problem with storing documents, is that you struggle to find information easily and need to find places to store those documents each year.”

“I showed the teachers how we could create a folder for each learner and how they could all update the information in one folder which all the teachers could access. This year, we have started working with that online filing system,” says Abigail. After witnessing the challenges that teachers faced in 2020 because of the pandemic, Abigail wants to focus on how she can make 2021 “easier for each and every teacher by helping them find ways to do their work effectively”. “Thanks to my digital and technology skills, I have also been asked to work closely with the D6 team to find out how our school can use their platform to communicate with parents. We are also moving all school tasks online for the learners so that we can share links to the work they need to do via WhatsApp, which many learners and their parents have easier access to.” Looking back on her journey over the last two years, Abigail says: “I am extremely grateful to MiDO. Their internship has made it possible for me to find work and had it not been for MiDO’s training and support, I would not be where I am now, working as an Assistant Administrator at Franschhoek High School.”

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