Staff Reporter
Gauteng has launched its 41st School of Specialisation, expanding vocational and occupational training for learners as the province says it seeks to better align education with labour-market demand and scarce skills.
Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC Lebogang Maile officially launched the Olympia Park Vocational and Occupational School of Specialisation in Springs, saying the school would provide learners with practical skills, recognised qualifications and workplace experience.
Olympia Park, which has 764 learners and 61 teachers, offers vocational training ranging from motor mechanics, plumbing and welding to agriculture, food production, sewing, hairdressing and beauty.
The school also has 22 workshops and allows learners to leave with between four and six additional Sector Education and Training Authority-accredited courses.
ALSO READ: Steenhuisen welcomes new global business service centre as vote of confidence in SA potential
“Olympia Park represents what we want to achieve through an education system that recognises the different abilities, talents and aspirations of our learners. We are not simply launching a school; we are opening doors to opportunity, dignity, skills development and economic participation.
“Vocational and occupational education must provide a credible pathway through which young people can acquire skills, gain recognised qualifications, enter the workplace, continue their studies or become entrepreneurs,” Maile said.
The Schools of Specialisation Programme was conceptualised in 2014 and has developed into one of the Gauteng Department of Education’s flagship initiatives.
The schools are intended to respond to the skills needs of Gauteng and South Africa by developing specialised talent and addressing scarce and critical skills requirements.
The programme also forms part of Gauteng’s Transformation, Modernisation and Reindustrialisation strategy, with the location and curriculum focus of the schools linked to the economic strengths and development priorities of the province’s economic corridors.
Olympia Park falls within Gauteng’s Eastern Economic Corridor in the City of Ekurhuleni, which is focused on manufacturing, transport, logistics and aeronautics.
School dates back to 1958
Olympia Park was established in January 1958 as a flagship Learners with Special Education Needs school serving learners with mild intellectual sisabilities and has a long history of supporting learners from underserved communities.
Its premises are situated on Transnet grounds that were historically used for the training of Transnet learnerships.
Since 2019, the school has revised its vision and mission, changed its anthem and uniform, upgraded sporting facilities and shifted to a stronger focus on vocational and occupational skills development, the department said.
ALSO READ: Mpumalanga MEC Thomo confirms departments’ increased contracts to women owned enterprises
Olympia Park has also been incorporated into the National School Nutrition Programme, which feeds up to 80% of its learners each day.
GDE scholar transport provides transport for 672 learners, including children travelling from as far as Spaarwater and Vosloorus.
The school has implemented the Endorsed National Senior Certificate and Technical Occupational Curriculum and has developed new workbooks and textbooks for Technical Occupational Curriculum subjects.
It also offers SETA-accredited short courses aimed at strengthening learners’ employment prospects.
“Inclusion cannot end with giving a learner a place in a classroom. It must mean giving that learner the education, practical skills, support and qualifications necessary to participate meaningfully in society and the economy.
“Our objective is to develop learners who leave school with practical abilities, theoretical knowledge, confidence, discipline and a positive attitude towards work,” Maile added.
Matric pass rate reaches 100%
Olympia Park currently has 764 learners, supported by 61 teachers and 15 general assistants, administrative and specialised staff.
The school’s matric pass rate increased from 83% in 2022 to 91.6% in 2023 before reaching 100% in both 2024 and 2025.
The department said the results showed that practical skills development and academic achievement could be pursued together.
The school’s 22 workshops comprise four Motor Mechanics workshops, three Plumbing workshops, three Welding and Sheet Metal workshops, five Agriculture Studies workshops, two Food Production workshops and two Sewing workshops.
It also has dedicated facilities for consumer studies, hairdressing, and nail and beauty training.
Other infrastructure includes an agricultural tunnel, hydroponics facilities, a medical centre, school hall, nutrition centre and feeding programme.
Its sporting facilities include three netball courts, a soccer and rugby field, two cricket nets, an athletics track and two long-jump pits.
Learners are also exposed to aquaculture, butchery, tractor and forklift operation, motorised bicycles and scaffolding alongside the school’s core occupational programmes.
Skills mismatch
The launch comes as South Africa continues to struggle with a mismatch between education and the skills required in the labour market.
According to the department, about 30.3% of workers are employed in occupations that do not match the field of their highest educational qualification.
The 2024 National List of Occupations in High Demand identifies 350 occupations in which employers are likely to recruit over the medium term.
Occupations aligned with skills developed at Olympia Park include automotive motor mechanics, plumbers, welders, hairdressers and nail technicians.
“We cannot separate the future of education from the future of our economy. Our schools must equip learners with skills that have practical value beyond the school gates.
“A learner who develops expertise in motor mechanics, welding, plumbing, agriculture, food production, sewing, hairdressing or beauty must be able to see a pathway from that skill towards further training, employment or entrepreneurship,” Maile said.
SETA-accredited qualifications
Learners at Olympia Park can leave the school having completed between four and six additional SETA-accredited courses.
These include Fire Fighting, Working at Heights, Fall Arrest, Scaffold Erection, General Health and Safety, Power Tool Safety, Office Administration, Piggery and Mixed Farming.
The school enrolled its first fully SETA-accredited learner cohort in 2026.
The department said the approach was intended to ensure learners left school with recognised competencies that could improve their chances of gaining access to further training or employment.
The school has also developed partnerships with companies and training institutions to bring workplace experience and skills into its programmes.
Cable Feeder Systems provides financial support, donates training equipment, assists financially with social worker support and provides learners with training opportunities in various fields.
HyGro Training College supports AgriSETA mixed-farming training for Year 4 learners, while Data Matrix provides SETA-accredited courses.
Springs Used Motor Parts donates vehicle components to the Motor Mechanics Department and Stark Ayers Seeds provides seeds for Agriculture Studies.
The Courier Guy supports sporting attire and equipment, Nirvana Business Solutions provides SETA courses, Bakeology Studio provides baking courses for Consumer Studies and Food Production learners, and Young Nails provides courses for Nail and Beauty learners.
Other partners provide apprenticeships and learnerships, workshop equipment, learning material, tractor and forklift licences, agricultural training and support for the school’s mechanical workshop.
Aviation training opportunity
Olympia Park is also expanding into aviation-related technical exposure in line with Ekurhuleni’s position within Gauteng’s Eastern Economic Corridor and its focus on transport and aeronautics.
An aircraft tail has been delivered separately to the school and is due to be assembled.
The school will begin assembling the tail this weekend. Doors that were removed to make transportation easier will be reinstalled during the assembly process, while four blades will be mounted at the end.
An Aviation Maintenance Engineer from Denel has also made contact with the school to provide support and expose learners to aviation-related technical knowledge.
“This is precisely the type of exposure we want our learners to receive. When learners can interact with artisans, engineers, technicians and industry professionals, they begin to understand how the skills acquired at school translate into real occupations and economic opportunities,” Maile said.
