Eight staff members from our Cape Town office attended a Trainer Development Programme for Housing Consumer Education from 21 to 25 January – organised by the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements. The purpose of the training is to equip the HDA with the skills and knowledge required for training and facilitation of consumer education for new homeowners.
Housing consumer education is a vital and integral part of the housing delivery process on the N2 Gateway Project, particularly in the relocation and housing of beneficiaries. The process covers a variety of issues, including housing policy and legislation, current housing programmes, legal matters (such as contracts and their implications, deceased estates and title deeds), house maintenance and the responsibilities of a home owner, finance, energy efficiency and safety in the home, HIV/Aids and housing, and municipal services.
Previously, we were only responsible for arranging consumer education training sessions and the identification of beneficiaries to attend the training. The actual training was conducted by the province. We have since decided to “UP OUR GAME” and give our own staff the skills to deliver the training.
The Trainer Development Programme for Housing Consumer Education is an NQF Level 5 course and provides the participants with 18 credits in recognition of their competencies to facilitate or intend to facilitate housing consumer education training programmes. Those credited with this unit standard are able to plan and prepare for facilitation, facilitate learning, and evaluate learning and facilitation.
