Season 2, Episode 8

Dispatches from Johannesburg Number 2: Building a Training Centre from Scratch

Welcome to another installment of “Dispatches from Johannesburg”, an exclusive series of Connect 4 Life: The Podcast.

In this episode, Melanie Taddeo shares personal insights based on her experiences over the past several weeks in building a training centre for people with disabilities in South Africa – from the ground up.

Recorded in Johannessburg in the first week of March 2025, Melanie talks about the work of two vocational schools in South Africa. As you’ll find out in this episode, there is a pressing need for skills development and related training for people with disabilities.

But, as Melanie points out, one wonders whether we need to consider a more general emphasis on ensuring skills development – for people of all ages and all abilities, whether in South Africa, Canada or perhaps even your own country (wherever you might be listening from). Skills development provides us with the ongoing life skills necessary to excel, to adapt and to thrive – something all of us can benefit from.

What goes into building a training centre from scratch? To be begin with, finding out who does what, and searching out the local success stories. Continue listening to learn more about how South African youth with disabilities who have graduated from various programs are now applying those skills in areas such as culinary arts and agriculture – and what we can learn from those programs, the schools, and, most importantly, the students themselves.

"Dispatches from Johannesburg" is published every month or so and is an exclusive feature of Connect 4 Life: The Podcast. Check out more episodes of Connect 4 Life: The Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you enjoy your favourite podcasts.

Each segment of "Dispatches from Johannesburg" provides you with a personal update on the activities and development’s of Connect 4 Life’s newest chapter, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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