Shirley Lloyd describes herself as an educator, a public servant, an activist and a social entrepreneur. She believes in social justice and views her work in education and training, and particularly related to the NQF and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as part of fulfilling her life’s work.

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Dr Shirley LloydRead More »

Linda Ingram was invited to join the ETDP SETA Board in April 2020. In October 2018 she was voted onto the APPETD Board as Chairperson. …

Ms Linda IngramRead More »

Founder of VeryCoolIdeas, a leading training provider since 2000, delivering professional education and skills development programmes across various industries.

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Ms Kim Dry-CourtoisRead More »

Mashadi is a social sustainability practitioner and qualified skills development facilitator. She holds a Masters Degree in Development and Management. She has 12 years’ experience in running and managing Corporate Social Investment and skills development programs as well as B-BBEE function management.

Mashadi established ASI after spending ten years in the corporate environment. In her time in corporate she held B-BBEE, Skills Development and CSR related roles. She’s passionate about enabling businesses to get the best out of their people, helping people reach their full potential and being an agent for positive transformation. She is an advocate for holistic approaches.

Liyanda Handula is more than just a leader with philanthropical leanings, he is a man with eagle-eyed vision, who has demonstrated the ability to lead with integrity, openness and drive.

From humble beginnings in Gugulethu Township in the Western Cape, to boardrooms in major corporations as CEO, Liyanda is all too familiar with walking the path of greatness.

And, he recognises lost destinies, which are taken captive by living in an environment that is not conducive to study. Liyanda has never forgotten his one true calling: to go back into the townships and help as many deserving ambitious individuals out from abject poverty as possible. Coming from a home where his grandmother couldn’t read nor write, he realised early on that his only escape from a lost destiny was through education. He excelled in school, graduated from the Ca pe Peninsula University of Technology, adva nced his career th rough an MBA and is now reading towards his doctorate, focusing on Lean Manufacturing Processes.

Through his tireless work with the Gugulethu Development Forum, and the MEC of Education in the Western Cape, Liyanda has, through Masithuthuke Holdings, provided bursaries to deserving high school students who have excelled in their studies — empowering them to carve out a SUCCESSFUL future for themselves through education.

He has held various senior positions for organisations such, UK Trade and Investment and various Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA’s). He was previously a board member for the Employment Skills Development Agency (ESDA).

Shaun Smith is co-Principal of The Fusion Cooking School, and prior to covid was Chef Patron of Fusion World Food Café and Fusion French Café and Bakery in Durban. Shaun co-founded the South African Culinary and Hospitality Educators Forum (SACHEF). Shaun also co-founded the Africa Chefs Alliance/Alliance des Chefs Africains (ACA) as a multinational alliance of Chef Associations throughout Africa. Shaun is currently the Skill Competition Manager (SCM) for the WorldSkills Shanghai (2022) competition, and was previously the WorldSkills Chief Expert, and the Deputy-Chief Expert prior to that. Shaun sits on the National Board of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs as the South African Conseiller Culinaire and is a member of the International Advisory Board for the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Jeune Chefs Rôtisseurs (JCR) competition. Shaun is the author of the culinary textbook The South African Professional Chef used by over 30 schools throughout South Africa for the QCTO Chef qualification.

Dr Wynand Goosen is the CEO of the Infomage Rims group from where he constantly launches various strategic initiatives. As a strategist, he has pioneered various high-level programs, strategies and systems. These include:

• Developed the first Skills Development Facilitator Program for South Africa
• Developed the first New Venture Creation Program for Entrepreneurial thinking
• Facilitated various Strategic Development workshops for a range of clients in private and public sector
• Created international collaborative frameworks between South Africa and the European Union
• Represented South Africa on various international business platforms
• Developed a range of Foresight and Innovation Tools for Strategic Planning
• Devised an incubation system for start-up enterprises
• Scoped and developed Management Information Systems and developed ITC solutions
• Developed systems to link strategy to strategic implementation, that drives execution and productivity

Dr Goosen has also created various successful companies. These includes organisations such as The Learning Corporation Ltd; The Infomage Rims Group; SkillzBook; Gold Rose Investments.

He holds a portfolio of qualifications that includes three Doctorates in Business, Meta Physics and Human Capital. He has board membership with several professional organisations.  Dr Goosen is a well-known conference speaker and has been quoted in newspapers and interviewed for several television programs.

“Strategy is often developed using generic tools. However, each organisation is different, and nuances and culture play important roles in creating strategies that are implementable, effectively measurable and sustainable. Systems need to focus on simplification and implementation, not complication”

Lientjie matriculated in 1984 and holds the following qualifications: National Diploma Food Service Management, National Diploma Tertiary Education, National Higher Diploma Food and Nutrition, BTech Food & Beverage Management, MTech Food and Beverage Management and have completed her PhD with Title:

Accessible career paths for persons with different degrees of hearing loss at the National Institute for the Deaf in December 2019.  She is also a qualified Facilitator, registered Assessor, Moderator and Skills Development Facilitator.

After pursuing a career in the South African Hospitality Industry, she discovered her true passion: education and training.  She joined the Tshwane University of Technology in 1991, where she was the Director of one of the Universities’ Centers of Excellence.  Over a period of 16 years, she committed herself to skills development aimed at unemployed youth and job creation.

She then joined Compass Group Southern Africa (part of a Global Corporate) as National Talent Manager in 2007 and had the privilege of traveling the world for eight years in pursuit of global best practice that can be localized in the Learning and Development space.

Her relationship with the National Institute for the Deaf started in 2000 when she assisted the NID to become an accredited Private Training Provider.

After the emotional experiences of her brother becoming deaf after a visit to Nigeria, and her husband experiencing severe hearing loss, her world view was changed. She had a renewed empathy with persons with disabilities and after leaving the Corporate World, she joined the NID in 2015 on a full-time basis as Chief Training Officer and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of NID Training NPC on 1 August 2021.

Her focus is on skills development for gainful employment in an attempt to address the 85% unemployment rate amongst D/deaf and disabled youth in South Africa.

She specializes in curriculum differentiation, adapted facilitation, assessment and moderation practices, reasonable accommodation and workplace sensitization for persons with disabilities.

I am passionate about Skills, learning & development thereof and growth of small businesses and entrepreneurs. I believe in hard work and integrity in all that I undertake and do and also believe that we should support each other and share experiences. I have 20 years’ experience in General Management, Training & development, Human resources, Industrial Relations, Customer service, Finance and Operations and have been a small business owner since 2013. The industries I have worked in are FMCG, Hospitality and Consulting Services. I have been developing people for over 25 years.

CURRENT POSITIONS:

1. Currently the Director at Hesscon Pty Ltd – Occupational Health, Safety & training consultingsince January 2013 to date.
2. HR & Accounts Executive for 9 SMME companies since 2015 to date.
3. HW Seta & QCTO Regulatory Skills Program – Forum to develop new skills programs.
4. QCTO Subject Matter Expert.
5. APPETD QCTO Forum since 2023.
6. Current interim Treasurer ASDSA April 2024.

PREVIOUS POSTITIONS HELD:

1. ASDSA – National Chairman April 2018 and then CEO 2022 – December 2023.
2. ASDSA – Company Secretary – KZN Chairperson then company secretary 2016 – 2018.
3. KZN Chairman of the Local Contractor Safety Council in KZN 2019 – 2022.
4. Durban Chamber of commerce and Industry SMME forum chairman 2014-2018.
5. Executive Business Development Manager – Makro SA 2007-2012.
6. General Manager for First Resorts & The Holiday club 1997-2007.
7. Training & Operations – New Horizons Computer Learning Centre 1996-1997.

CURRENT DESIGNATIONS:

1. SABPP – HR Professional – HRP
2. ASDSA – SD Master – SD.M
3. CIPPT – OD Practitioner – OD Prac
4. CIBA – Business Accountant – BA(SA) & Commissioner of Oath
5. SAIOSH – Safety Technician – Tech Saiosh

An entrepreneur and business development practitioner known for her successful ventures in the Education, Health & Welfare sector.

Born and raised in Johannesburg, Vilakazi developed a passion for Education at a young age. She studied Distance Education Practitioner, Project Management at Unisa and Bcomm Marketing at Mancosa which has enhanced her Business Development Skills.

She decided to pursue her dream of starting her own founded NPO within her community for youth skills development and training mandated and funded by the Department of Social Development.

She has extensive knowledge on the processes and policies of SETAs and has worked for ETDP SETA for 10 years which quickly gained her popularity for delivery of accredited courses and for innovative marketing strategies in various organizations both public and private.

She focused on creating relationships with the Gauteng Provincial Legislature who caters and celebrate the Heroines through (# vitabasadiawards) for women of Gauteng who look after communities and thrive in all sorts of unfavorable environments.

Vilakazi has now joined Jordan House Old Age Home as a Director and continues her passion for skills development in the Health and Welfare sector. Vilakazi is also known for her philanthropic efforts.

She is passionate about empowering women and supporting local communities, and she regularly engages with organization who positively contributes to charitable causes for sponsorships and donations to enhance the enterprise development.

Today, Phyllis Vilakazi is a respected figure in the NPO industry, known for her entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and commitment to making a positive impact on society.

She continues to innovate and grow the NPOs, inspiring others to follow their dreams and make a difference in marginalized communities.

Zanele Nyembe is an Education, Training, and Development (ETD) practitioner renowned for her dedication to quality assurance in learning environments. She has robust background spanning over a decade. She is a National Accreditation and QA Specialist at OPTIMI WORKPLACE, a division of the Optimi Group that historically specialised in AET. Zanele is in charge of compliance, seeking and maintaining accreditation, designing robust quality assurance programmes, and overseeing the development and implementation of training programmes, including e-learning initiatives.

Zanele holds a Bachelor’s degree and Honors degree in Education from the University of Witwatersrand, where she specialized in the FET phase teaching and E-learning specialisation respectively. She is in the final stages of compiling her Master’s degree thesis.

Zanele’s expertise extends beyond traditional educational paradigms, as evidenced by her involvement in transdisciplinary research collaborations through initiatives like the Transdisciplinary International Learning Lab (TILL), where she honed skills in tackling complex sustainability challenges through international intercultural collaborations.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Zanele is deeply committed to giving back to the community. She serves as a Director at the South African Professionals Network Association (SAPNA), an organisation that aims to empower professionals across various sectors through engaging networking events.