From Ashes To Action

Constructing A Dynamic and World Class Agency

Background

A group of powerful Clinical and Community Psychologists and Social Workers has developed the company (STL) into a powerful service delivery unit that focuses on the areas of social, educational and community development. STL has been associated and has relationships in other related national educational interests: PACE Career and Learning Assessment Centres, Kip McGrath Education Centres for children and young people with learning difficulties and Psychological Service Centres. The organisation has also been fully accredited by the Services Seta and therefore offers credible and accredited programmes in the area of training and development.

Social Entrepreneurs Who Have Developed Amazing Ideas and Approaches

The directors and consultants, have extensive experience in the area of youth activities, small business and school-based services, gained while serving as coordinators for the University of South Africa (UNISA) Institute for Behavioural Sciences Centre for Peace Action, a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Injury and Violence Prevention, National Programme Managers For The National Institute For Crime Prevention And Reintegration Of Offenders (NICRO) in South Africa, coordinators of various academic course at universities like the University of The Western Cape (UWC) etc. The company therefore has a solid base of experience in the management and coordination of various national and locally based training and research programmes. In this regard, we are very proud of our ability to recruit, organise and coordinate programmes, especially those on community level.

STL Has Had Bottom-Up Experience

They are also specialist in the fields of public relations and networking. The company is also involved in the research, design and implementation and coordination of development programmes at government and community level. STL has been working with organizations like the Gauteng Department Of Education In South Africa, in designing school based programmes, as well as working with organizations like South Africa’s Telkom (Social Development And Employee Assistance Programmes), BP Employee Assistance Programmes, SASOL Social Responsibility Division, The Department of Justice, The Department of Safety and Liaison, The National Institute For Crime Prevention And Reintegration Of Offenders (NICRO) in the design of national crime prevention programmes for youth and other related interventions.

We Have Worked With Human Behaviour Where Others Are Not Confident Enough To Tread

As an expert in outreach, the organization has gathered a depth of experience in communication skills, coalition building, marketing, corporate organizational building and gender and culture sensitivity development. As a development company STL has also been extensively involved in social responsibility, children and youth development initiatives in South Africa. The members of the company are highly competent trainers in anti-sexism and anti-racism techniques, and in principles and approaches to organizational development and change.
In managing human resources, the organization brings to the table humanistic psychological approaches in order to help resolve individual, group or corporate crises. STL has highly competent facilitators of interpersonal communication, non-antagonistic problem-solving skills and the development of organizational culture.
As a national Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) initiative in South Africa as well as 50% female owned, the company’s policies and energies have been directed to and in the service of community development.

Human Behaviour Is Our Game – We Are Attracted To Challenges

In the past two years STL have in collaboration with Pace Careers, Kip McGrath Education centres (an Australian Franchise with 360 centres in thirty six countries) made in-roads in the development of education, with specific emphasis on developing tools that would guide the development of historically disadvantaged youth. In this regard, STL has initiated Kip McGrath and Pace Career Centres that also serves historically disadvantaged areas in South Africa and covers areas like George, Athlone and surrounding areas in Cape Town; in Gauteng: Eldorado Park, Lenasia South, Lenasia, Orange Farm, Zacharia Park etc. This partnership is continually developing into a dynamic unit of service delivery and is for example currently negotiating with stakeholders and the Gauteng Education Department to expand the range of life skill programmes that are offered under the Pace-STL partnership. Among these are the implementation of computer and paper-based career assessments for all the primary and high schools in this area. As a programme STL is also offering a range of children, youth and life skill programmes for schools in places like Gauteng, Cape Town and the Southern Cape. In addition, the company has also been instrumental in assisting educators in South Africa, to deal with Barriers to Learning, a much needed and important aspect of education today. This aspect of the work has seen the organisation deal with issues of inclusion, early learning and educator assistance for primary and secondary school learners. The popularity of these programmes has allowed the Gauteng Department of Education, for example to request an STL- designed Leadership programme for youth in Gauteng, as well as team building for top management (broad management team), requests that we are particularly proud of. As a school and community directed company, STL aims to certainly make an amazing impact on the way life skills are practiced in schools and particularly South Africa.

Sharing these concerns, passion and interest are the dedicated team of individuals who comprise the consortium that forms the core of “Shaping The Learner”. The members of the consortium are made up of a spread of individuals who work closely together, uniting in capacity and impact. Among these individuals are eminent personalities in the fields of human development.

We Train, Research and Develop Organisations, Groups, Individuals

Shaping The Learner has been associated with some of the most unique training programmes. A careful scrutiny of our lists of programmes will illustrate to anyone our ability to think outside of the box. In fact, we pride ourselves on the lateral thinking approaches we exercise in our solution-centred thinking approaches. (See our unique list of programmes).

Mission Statement

Shaping The Learner endeavours to provide unique, innovative and pioneering training and development programmes to all those who endeavour to use our services. In the process Shaping The Learner will conform to all legislative and quality standards as proposed by the South African Qualifications Authority and the relevant training authorities.

Company Structure

A BEE Company
The Way We Operate

Shaping The Learner is an accredited training agency that operates nationwide offices, with provincial distributors that are trained and accredited. The provincial distributors develop and train the area trainers for accreditation through Shaping The Learner.

Outlined Below Are A Few of Our Training Strategies
Shaping The Learner provides accredited training programmes to our training providers in the various provinces and through partnership agreements. Through the Seta’s we have developed quality-accredited programmes and provide quality support materials in the form of course manuals and workbooks.

Research
Shaping The Learner is involved in on going research and is continually upgrading our training programmes based on the latest advancements and research in our field of work. We communicate all the latest training requirements to our regional distributors and are in continual contact with the requirements as laid down by the accredited training bodies.

Development
Shaping the Learner develops its ideas and capacity on a continual basis. The company is constantly developing groundbreaking training concepts and proposals under the guidance of competent and qualified personnel. We are therefore continually seeking new ways of addressing old problems. Our regional distributors therefore receive guidance on novel approaches that impress our clients continually. We support our distributors and engage in a system of continual interaction and mentoring.

Interaction
Shaping The Learner head office is constantly communicating with all its provincial partners. We also encourage communication between provincial partners and its area associates. In this way we are constantly assured of quality developmental and mentoring between partners who have the same objectives.

Our Unique Approach To Training

Theoretical Tenets

The Shaping The Learner approach is based on a number of theoretical tenets which interplay to create change in human behaviour :

Moral Reconation Therapy

This approach looks at the morality of the individual and programmes constantly reflect and highlight the movement of their moral position within their psyche in relation to societal expectations.

Group Work Theory

This approach argues that youth are in a phase where they need to continually clarify their identity. They are continually experimenting with certain experiences in order to find out what type of person they are. The group work training helps them to clarify this question because of the participatory nature of the interaction that helps them to reflect their abilities and position in relation to others. It is also in the group work element that they seek peer validation, exercise altruism, reward themselves and others, negotiate support etc.

Social Development Theory

This approach calls for the building of support and development networks around the individual and the surrounding community. The networks enable the individual and group to meet basic needs such as shelter, clothing, food etc. At the same time these networks around the individual also function on the level of an extended group principle as mentioned above.

Cognitive Behavioural Theory

The cognitive behavioral approach is well embedded in the field of community and social psychology. The individual in the community and group settings is able to examine current levels of functioning while continually reflecting on new information that enters their frame of reference. This process allows for periods or instances of self-adjustment in order to reflect the dominant traits in the activity. The ensuing rewards and punishment schedules that are built into the process helps shape the responses of the individual. This theory is well embedded in the field of psychology to assist people to change.

Quality Management

Shaping The Learner is:

Registered with the Services Seta

Shaping the Learner also lays careful emphasis on planning, leadership, management of resources, evaluation, measurement, analysis and continuous improvement is stressed.

Empowerment Facility

Shaping The Learner empowers its people through accreditation, communication, support, training and material. Distributors are also empowered to market, facilitate, assess, report and continue to operate independently with complete confidence and comfort.