Now they know we are real : skills development and women in the informal economy.

Abstract

The following dissertation examines skills development for women at the poorer ends of the informal economy through a study of members of the Self-Employed Women's Union (SEWU) who were trained in blockmaking in 1996. Since that time, the women have established the microenterprise, Vezi Khono (meaning 'Show the Skills' in Zulu) in the rural area of Ndwedwe in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. The dissertation explores the impact this training has had on incomes in the short and medium term, the opposition the women faced and the ability of training to overcome such obstacles, the role of government in skills development strategies, and concludes with ways in which skills development can be improved to better meet the needs women in the informal economy in establishing more sustainable enterprises.