PRINTING SA, in collaboration with Chemosol, Caxton and Jozi FM, is launching a screen printing project to up-skill unemployed women in the rural/township areas who will be taught the basics of screen printing and entrepreneurial skills.
The project, funded by the FP&M SETA, will start in April with the advertisements being published in the community newspapers, courtesy of Caxton and Jozi FM. This will be followed with the screening of candidates during May and concluding with training in June and July. If successful, PRINTING SA will run this project annually.
The women chosen for the project will be able to produce place mats and tablecloths. The project is also classified as 'green' because no electricity is required and the inks are water-soluble, making them environmentally safe.
The project will also train black women facilitators who will conduct the necessary training to bridge the communication problem which many community based projects face. The project will not only provide skills to unemployed women to build their own business but will also allow young women trainers to further their skills or gain practical experience. These trainee facilitators will also be used on future projects.
Five women will go on a one-on-one facilitator course and will assist the screen printing lecturer with any potential language problems. A total of 20 women, including the five trainers, will be trained on entrepreneurial skills which will help them run their own business.
The women will then go through a two-week screen printing course and will be provided with a start-up kit when they successfully graduate. They will also be supported by the five trainers who have been earmarked to become agents for Chemosol. They will supply the necessary inks and tools to the screen printers should their supplies be depleted.
Chemosol will provide the following start-up kit:
- One wooden frame pre stretched with mesh.
- One small squeegee.
- One small coating trough.
- Two small hinges and screws.
- One roll of masking tape.
- One bottle of presensitized emulsion.
- A4 sheets of clear base (two or three).
- One opaque pen.
- Three art brushes.
- One small jar each of black, red, yellow and blue (textile ink).
