Bergzicht Training

What Bergzicht Training does

Bergzicht Training and Development is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) founded in 1992 in Stellenbosch, South Africa, by Cecile Kotzé. It delivers free vocational skills training to disadvantaged, semi-skilled, and unemployed individuals in the Western Cape — primarily young women from impoverished communities with limited formal education. The organisation's portfolio spans the iPOWER Foundation self-empowerment programme (previously Home Management), an HWSETA-accredited Health and Frail Care programme, a Child Care/Educare programme, a Cathsseta-accredited Food Service Assistant and Food and Beverage Service programme, a City & Guilds Professional Cooking programme delivered with The Private Hotel School, and a Street Food Vendor micro-enterprise programme launched post-pandemic. Training is delivered at a single campus (Bergzicht Square, Stellenbosch) augmented by a 13-station on-campus training kitchen opened in September 2022 in partnership with Chefs Training & Innovation Academy (CTIA).

The organisation does not sell training; all programmes are free to beneficiaries. Revenue is generated solely through donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants from entities including Remgro, Distell, ABSA Barclays, Jannie Mouton Foundation, Hanns Seidel Foundation, AALL Foundation, TK Foundation, Stellenbosch Municipality, BATSA, and SAB. Go-to-market is community-led: beneficiaries are reached via municipal partnerships, NGO referrals, and word-of-mouth, while an in-house Placement Bureau (led by Howard Bergins) actively markets graduates to regional employers in healthcare, hospitality, and early childhood development with a reported 76% permanent placement rate. Marketing centres on success-story content, Facebook campaigns, earned media, and celebration events rather than paid acquisition.

Operationally, Bergzicht is governed by a Management Board (currently chaired by Prof Marius Ungerer, with Nathan Motjuwadi later referenced as Chairman) and led by CEO Renske Minnaar. Training delivery is overseen by Training Manager Monica Lekay (appointed 2016). The organisation has trained more than 10,000 students since inception, holds accreditations from HWSETA, Cathsseta, City & Guilds, and Services SETA, and was the recipient of the Community Chest Impumelelo Social Innovations Award. It added a Campus Feeding Programme in 2024 (Jannie Mouton Foundation) to provide daily meals to beneficiaries, reflecting a wrap-around support model beyond classroom training.

Name

Bergzicht Training

Legal name

Bergzicht Training and Development

Website

https://bergzichttraining.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bergzicht Training is a Stellenbosch-based South African NGO that delivers free accredited vocational training (healthcare, hospitality, childcare) to disadvantaged unemployed individuals and places graduates via an in-house Placement Bureau.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Skills Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional & Commercial Kitchen Training (Schools/Healthcare/Corporate) (EDAOAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional Culinary Arts (Chef Training) (EDAOAKAA), Hospitality & Food Service (EDABALAO), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance (BPADAEAI)

Keywords

• Vocational training services
• Skills development programmes
• Non-profit education
• Frail care training
• Hospitality training

Headquarters

HQ city

Stellenbosch

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Bergzicht Training operates as a non-profit NGO funded entirely by corporate donations, government grants, and foundation funding. The organization provides free training to beneficiaries, with all costs covered by external funding sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bergzicht Training and Development is a Stellenbosch-based NGO that delivers free, accredited vocational skills training programmes in Health and Frail Care, Child Care (Educare), Food Service Assistance, Food and Beverage Service, and Professional Cooking to disadvantaged individuals with little formal education. The organisation supplements training with wrap-around support (mentoring, campus feeding) and operates a Placement Bureau that places graduates into permanent employment.

Product overview

Bergzicht Training is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, offering skills development and vocational training programmes for disadvantaged, unemployed, semi-skilled, and unskilled persons. The organisation operates a portfolio of training programmes including the iPOWER Foundation Programme (self-empowerment/life skills), Health and Frail Care Programme (HWSETA-accredited), Child Care/Educare Programme, Food Service Assistant and Food and Beverage Service Programme (Cathsseta and City & Guilds accredited), Professional Cooking Programme (City & Guilds), and supplementary workshops in Entrepreneurship, Life Skills, and basic computer training. The organisation also provides a Placement Bureau service to place graduates in employment and supports alumni through a Campus Feeding Programme. Bergzicht Training partners with accredited training providers and corporate sponsors to deliver programmes, including a dedicated on-campus training kitchen opened in collaboration with the Chefs Training & Innovation Academy (CTIA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iPOWER Foundation Programme: Self-Empowering Foundation Programme (previously called Home Management Programme) - a six-week course that provides students with life skills they need to improve their own lives.

Products and services

• iPOWER Foundation Programme A self-empowering foundation programme (previously called Home Management Programme) providing a six-week course on basic life skills including personal hygiene, environment maintenance, and dealing with social issues. Targeted at disadvantaged persons entering Bergzicht's training pathway.
• Health and Frail Care Programme An HWSETA-accredited 15-week full-time programme training individuals to provide care for elderly, frail persons, and sick children. Produces certified frail care workers for hospitals, retirement homes, and home care settings.
• Child Care Programme (Educare)

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of trained students found permanent employment through Placement Bureau
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Chefs Training & Innovation Academy (CTIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022CTIA collaborated with Bergzicht to open an on-campus training kitchen in September 2022, primarily for the Food Service Assistance programme.
• Health and Welfare SETA (HWSETA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHWSETA accredits Bergzicht's Health and Frail Care Programme, enabling graduates to obtain nationally recognized qualifications.
• CathssetacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCathsseta provides accreditation for the Food Service Assistant and Food and Beverage Service programmes.
• Services SETAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServices SETA originally accredited Bergzicht as a skills development training centre in 2008.
• The Private Hotel SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Bergzicht to present the City & Guilds' Professional Cooking and Food and Beverage Service Programme in Vlottenburg.
• Tasting StellenboschcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial development initiative of Stellenbosch Wine Route partnering with Bergzicht to transfer skills to unemployed youth in hospitality.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• False Bay College: Public TVET college with multiple campuses across the Western Cape, offering accredited programmes in hospitality, business, and engineering. Directly comparable to Bergzicht for hospitality and vocational training, though it serves a broader metro catchment.
• College of Cape Town: Public TVET college in Cape Town offering SETA-accredited hospitality, educare, and health programmes. Directly comparable to Bergzicht in curriculum focus and beneficiary demographic, with broader geographic reach and government funding.
• Boland College: Public TVET college serving the Cape Winelands with campuses in Stellenbosch, Paarl, Worcester, and Caledon. Directly comparable to Bergzicht as both deliver SETA-accredited vocational programmes to the same regional population, though Boland operates at larger scale with government subsidies.
• Northlink College: Public TVET college in the Western Cape offering hospitality, tourism, and business programmes. Comparable to Bergzicht in target skills areas and regional footprint, though a larger government-funded institution.
• Training Force: South African private skills development provider offering SETA-accredited programmes including hospitality, food safety, and workplace skills. Directly comparable to Bergzicht for SETA-aligned vocational training and corporate-funded cohort models.

Emerging players

• iFundi: South African private vocational training provider offering hospitality, business, and IT programmes through SETA-aligned curricula. Comparable to Bergzicht in skills focus and target beneficiary profile, though operates commercially rather than as an NGO.

Regional players

• Tjeka Training Matters: Western Cape-based private training provider offering accredited artisanal, construction, and hospitality programmes. Comparable to Bergzicht in its regional Western Cape focus and SETA-accredited curriculum, but its primary sectors (construction trades) are different.

Broad incumbents

• Cape Peninsula University of Technology: Large public university of technology in the Western Cape offering hospitality management, education, and applied health sciences. Comparable to Bergzicht in subject-matter focus but at degree level rather than short-course vocational training.
• Stellenbosch University (SUI): Major public research university in Stellenbosch that co-exists in the same community as Bergzicht. Comparable only insofar as it produces graduates in hospitality, education, and health-related fields that overlap with Bergzicht's placement employer pool.

Others

• FoodBev SETA: South African Sector Education and Training Authority for the food and beverages industry. Comparable to Bergzicht as the SETA ecosystem administrator that funds and accredits Bergzicht's Cathsseta food service programmes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bergzichttraining
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=aZ7CHTBvAE8
• Facebookfacebook.com/BergzichtTraining
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bergzicht-training

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bergzicht Training