Empowering Women With Work Skills to Address the SDGs in the Age of the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa

Abstract

The outburst of COVID-19 adds to the socio-economic burden on women around the globe. Thus, South Africa's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievements paint a bleak picture of its realization. Work skills to empower women can help them succeed despite the odds. However, most parents in the colonial era failed to educate girls, in addition to foreign oppression. Adult community colleges (ACET) are institutionalized with mandated programs to empower women. This chapter, therefore, aims to investigate ACET in addressing work skills deficiency. The researcher conducted interviews and focus group discussions with female learners (n=35) from four ACET centers. The study revealed women's dissatisfaction with the programs of ACET, and further, the institution does not teach practical life skills. The study's findings have lessons and implications for higher education programs such as ACET as an instrument for empowerment leading to sustainable socio-economic advancement, particularly in developing countries where relevant skills are needed to meet labor market demands.