Mineral Resources Minister, Ms Susan Shabangu (MP), will host the first National Jewellery Forum on 23 and 24 October 2013, in Johannesburg. The forum brings together mining and jewellery manufacturing associations and government, with the view to creating entrepreneurs with the requisite skills to enable South Africa to become a global jewellery hub, as announced in the Minister’s Budget Vote Speech in May this year.
Jewellery manufacturing is one of the five key value chains identified in the Beneficiation Strategy approved by Cabinet in 2011, implementation of which will leverage the country’s precious metal and gemstone reserves to position South Africa as a thriving and globally competitive jewellery hub.
Among the key outcomes of the forum is the development of a proposed curriculum for Entrepreneurial Jewellery Design and Manufacturing, which will ultimately be offered at public Further Education and Training (FET) colleges and other institutions of higher learning, as well as to have a structured and coordinated approached to financial and non-financial support for jewellery designers and manufacturers.
The Minister will be joined by representatives from the Departments of Trade and Industry, Higher Education and Training, as well as industry participants. Members of the media are invited to attend the plenary session.
NB: The breakaway sessions will be closed to the media.
Details of the plenary session are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Time: 8h30 - 11h30
Venue: Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Boksburg
RSVP:
Solomon Phetla
Cell: 076 765 3863
Email: solomon.phetla@dmr.gov.za
For media enquiries:
Ayanda Shezi
Cell: 079 880 2059
Email: ayanda.shezi@dmr.gov.za
