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The Hands On Foundation Charitable Trust to build a Technical Engineering & Design Faculty at Wittedrift High School

Watch the video HERE
 
Cape Town - December 19th, 2024

Saul Berman is a man on a mission. 

A man with a passion for education and helping children in South Africa achieve that aim, especially within the scope of Technical studies, an area in the curriculum largely ignored by mainstream schools.

In February 2025, ground will be broken at the second of his trailblazing school initiatives at Wittedrift High School, with building taking place in earnest throughout the year, planning for the Technical Engineering Faculty to be opened in November 2025, with learners enrolling from 2026.

This follows the successful pilot project having taken place at Wynberg Boys High School. 
Here, Saul Berman's academic dream became a brick and mortar reality when in February 2020, the Technical Engineering Faculty opened its doors to students. 

The Hands On Foundation Charitable Trust in collaboration with Leap Science and Maths Schools is currently building Technical Engineering faculties at Crossroads and Langa in Cape Town and will commence in Paarl in 2025, with a continued roll-out plan with them thereafter. 

The main with a dream and a drive to succeed - The back story

While widely known as a successful Cape Town building developer in business circles, Saul Berman remembers the pains of alienation and lack of acceptance as a child when his drive to pursue technical studies at school was met with derision and discouragement from his teachers who all questioned his ability to succeed. 

Saul explains; "I know what it's like to feel lost, and I know what it's like to be made to feel unwanted or unneeded or actually to feel useless. I was told by my teachers that I would never amount to anything."

With a conviction to prove them wrong, his determination to succeed soon became a story of hope and as he further established himself in the building world, he has been a driving force to help children in South Africa have technical studying options at school level.

Thus the idea of establishing a Technical Engineering Faculty fully integrated into mainstream schools, was born.

Establishing The Hands On Foundation Charitable Trust with brother Paul (together they own Berman Bros.) to roll the project out, Wynberg Boys' High School was identified as the project school to make his vision a reality.

In February 2020, Phase 1 of the state-of-the-art complex was completed and the Technical Engineering Faculty opened its doors to students. 
Phase 2 being the addition of the Design faculty followed in 2021  and has quickly proven highly successful.

To view the establishment of the Wynberg Boys' High School Faculty video HERE

To view the Wynberg Boys' High School 'Fund a Brick' Campaign HERE

Principal of Wynberg Boys' High School Jan de Waal states, "The lack of technical skills within the workforce is evident and our aim is to produce young men already skilled in these areas, ready to go on and study engineering, architecture, construction or enter a trade in their field of choice was the driving concept behind this project".
Berman adds; "The dream is to create a technical and engineering faculty that's part of the school building in that it's not alienated from the rest of the school.

He continues; "Returning now to Wynberg Boys' High School, seeing the faculty, seeing the passion and look in the children's eyes and loving what they're learning, working with their hands, feeds my inspiration and ultimately, the success of the project is in the kids' achievements.

I want to change the school curriculum across the country. We have done it through the Technical and Engineering Faculty we first created at Wynberg High School and now we're deep into planning the next faculty building at Wittedrift High School."

Three further schools in the Cape have been identified for future development, with the plan to roll-out the project nationwide thereafter.

Jeremy Marallich, Principal of Wittedrift High School states excitedly; "There is a strong need for this project - this Faculty is so important in that it doesn't isolate students into different types of schools. Technical schools have a specific type of negative stigma attached, students wanting to follow a technical education have tended to be isolated and not being able to attend mainstream schools with activities. Giving students the opportunity to attend mainstream schools, being fully integrated, with no stigma attached, is so important. This new Faculty will do this."

View the Wittedrift High Technical Engineering Faculty Project video HERE

Saul states; "What we are doing is building a facility that is the showcase of how a building should be built to the highest quality while also with the aim to make the building self-sufficient through water and power through solar and these classrooms need to be the inspiration of quality.

By creating a Technical & Engineering Faculty within a school curriculum is an incredible opportunity for the industry and for students to learn a trade or go into an industry at school level with both educational knowledge and practical experience. It gives children a choice and is an auto-feeding system into the industry and the country.

South Africa is desperate for tradesmen, engineers, architects and the like as we need to create those at school level."

The Hands On Foundation Charitable Trust was created as a vehicle and foundation to fundraise for specific purposes - passion is technical education and education. Since the opening of the faculty at Wynberg Boys' High School, the school's principal Jan De Waal has joined the foundation as its Education Implementation Co-ordinator and Facilitator.

The foundation is committed  to cover all running costs so that all donations made by the public, go to the part of the project that the donor wishes it to go to. Your donation goes right to the source.

The Wittedrift High Technical Engineering Faculty is being funded by donors, with the building designed as a facility that will include workshops, classrooms, storerooms. 

This cannot be done without the public and their donations.

Once completed, the faculty will be handed over to the school, but owned by the community.

The adjacent project is the bursary fund which is very important, to assist those learners who can't afford to attend the school, which is just as vital.

Think of the growth in the economy in the surrounding areas with learners leaving school with these skills who can immediately enter the workplace or head to additional learning at tertiary level.

This can only be done if the local community pulls together to achieve this aim. 

Taken even further, to have South Africa as a whole band together to achieve this goal so that the project can be rolled out further on a national level.

What will the Wittedrift High Technical Engineering Faculty offer learners?

There will be a capacity for 60 learners, covering Grades 10, 11 and 12.

Subjects in the faculty will include Civil Technology as well as Engineering Graphics and Design. (Electronics and Construction are already in the Wynberg curriculum with a third option of either Automotive or Electrical Engineering planned to be introduced).

The learners will need to take Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Engineering Graphics and Design, as well as Civil Technology. 
The Foundation is currently in talks with the WCED (Western Cape Education Department) to negotiate wider subject combinations while still having EGD and/or Civil Technology as part of the learners' subject offering.

The school has a hostel that is being expanded currently. There is space for 20 learners currently and more after expansion.

Probably the biggest advantage that the faculty will have for students is that they will go into Engineering studies after school better prepared and with some practical insights that will be invaluable in their tertiary studies. Learners will also have the opportunity to do holiday work at companies that support the project.

Further expansion is planned to build art, music and sports faculties to make it one of the finest schools in the country.

How can you get involved?

People can get involved by offering donations, their expertise or time.
For monetary donations, donations of materials or other partnerships please contact Wittedrift High School at info@technicalengineeringfaculty.wittedriftschool.co.za

If you have an interest in learning more about the curriculum or enrolling, please contact Vanessa Greyling (WHS Deputy Principal) - whsdeputyprincipal@gmail.com
Saul Berman concludes; "We need to enable children to dream. It's that simple. Please join us in doing that."

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For interview requests, please contact Collett Dawson of The CoLab Network at collett@thecolabnetwork.com

ENDS.

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The CoLab Network
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The Hands On Foundation Charitable Trust

Investec Bank Limited
Branch - 58 01 05 (Grayston Drive)
Current Account - 10013804344