ABOUT THE JSEC

The Jewish Sheltered Employment Centre provides employment for Jewish men and women who are unable to work in the open labour market. The Centre provides employment for 60 workers. Workers are taught skills in a protective and supportive environment. They are involved in the manufacture of a large range of unique high quality craft goods. Workers are encouraged to develop their independence and reach their full potential. The focus is on their ability rather than their disability.

Staff receive on the job training in a supportive environment and are encouraged to attend external training courses to further their skills. The Centre is constantly looking for new opportunities to enable and empower the special workers to reach their potential.

The Organisation for Rehabilitation and Training (ORT) identified the need to create a centre that would provide employment for Jewish men and women who were unable to work in the open labour market. In 1950 ORT, working in association with the late Dr Louis Mirvish, established the Jewish Sheltered Employment Centre with a loan of £200.

Initially, the Centre had only one worker and was housed in the Security Building in Exchange Place. In 1956, the Centre moved to its current location in Gardens, Cape Town.

The workshop and offices are housed in an old gracious building which has a beautiful garden setting. It is centrally situated near Rosecourt, a shopping centre, a school, a synagogue and is in close proximity to the city centre.

The building was formerly used as a hostel for young Jewish women who came from the rural areas of South Africa and from Germany in the 1940s.

The Centre is dependent on the Jewish Community for its existence through funding, personal interest and awareness.

Various women's groups of the Jewish Community visit the Centre regularly and it on occasion utilise it as a venue for their meetings.

Herzlia School also arrange school visits.

The Centre is recognised by the University of Cape Town as an agency for the training of Social Work students under the supervision of the Director, a qualified Social Worker. A number of second year Social Work students are assigned to conduct their field work assignments at the Centre. Each student contracts to meet with a worker for a six week period. The student is required to write weekly reports on these interviews. At the end of the assignment, the students are required to give a presentation as part of their examinations.

The Centre is acknowledged by both local and overseas professionals to be a leader in the field of the mentally challenged.

The Centre's primary source of income is in the form of:

• donations
• welfare campaigns
• fundraising
• bequests
• interest income
• the sale of goods

Admission is based on medical criteria. The application includes a medical report from a mental health professional (psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric social worker, or other organisation/ hospital) and is processed by the Medical Committee/ Panel.

The day is structured and work begins at 8:45 am and ends at 3:45 pm (3:00 pm on Fridays). There is a morning tea break of 15 minutes, with tea/coffee provided by the Centre, and a lunch break of an hour. The workers are required to bring their own lunch and the Centre offers soup and tea. Wages are paid on a monthly basis. The workers are also in receipt of a Government Social Welfare Grant. This payment is crucial to the workers and unnecessary absenteeism could result in money being deducted from the their wages. However, a flexible approach is adopted in this regard and workers are free to attend medical appointments, paramedical appointments, etc. Each situation is dealt with independently.