As of July 1, the Ergo Business Development Academy (EBDA), founded by South African gold mining company DRDGold subsidiary Ergo in 2009 as a social and labour plan project, will trade as a separate entity, says EBDA manager Piet Pistorius.

While the academy will still fall under DRDGold, it will no longer be registered under Ergo Mining.

“The intention is that, in time, at an appropriate stage, the academy may be handed over to a trust, or a similar entity, that will manage it on behalf of the community. This move will allow the academy to stay operational, even after Ergo’s operations in the area have concluded,” he says.

The EBDA has grown significantly since its commissioning, opening with accreditation for only three engineering trades. Today the academy has accredi- tation in most of the trades and for many Sector Education and Training Authorities, Pistorius adds.

The academy is also accredited in terms of general management, mineral processing and metallurgy and occupational health and safety, and it is a fully accredited private further education and training and examination centre registered with Umalusi and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

During the course of this year, the EBDA plans to expand its footprint significantly.

“We are running various community interventions, such as maths, science and accounting classes at high schools and enterprise clubs, which are entrepreneurial interventions aimed at school leavers and Grade 10 learners.

“Currently, our main footprint is in the East Rand, but we are planning to expand into the West Rand and other areas in which DRDGold operates,” Pistorius explains.

He adds that the academy is running at a 100% first time trade test pass rate. Additionally, the EBDA learners are expected to complete their training within a 5% variance of the training period, which varies between courses.

The EBDA has had an impact on the overall maths and science results of participating schools. Some learners have achieved an increase of up to 30% in their marks for these subjects.