During 6 months of rigorous practical and theoretical in-house training the aspirant candidates were educated on a variety of subjects such as geology, desert ecology, fynbos, birds etc. Aquila Private Game provided their knowledgeable and highly skilled game rangers that acted as mentors to all eleven candidates. The game rangers are all former students of The Nature College and the exceptional standard they acquired from the Nature Guide Development Programme made them model mentors for the talented candidates.
Owner of Aquila Private Game Reserve Searl Derman enthuses, “We at Aquila and indeed The Nature College are incredibly proud of the high standard attained. This project also reiterates that private tourism can offer a substantial boost to economic development in rural areas”.
Johan Fourie, CEO of The Nature College who facilitated the assessments at Aquila stated that this high standard of training and mentorship adds significant value to the experience that the public is offered at the reserve.
On the horizon, Aquila and The Nature College look forward to taking these skills developments further by forming a stronger relationship to ensure that this project will continue to deliver outstanding results. Other initiatives Aquila is involved with on an ongoing basis includes winter soup kitchens and blanket donations.
Aquila will continue to support and mentor graduates from the college and assist the Touwsrivier community to enter the Nature Site Guide market thus providing not only employment but a career.
Contact Information :
Distributed by Smart Strategies on behalf of Aquila Private Game Reserve
Smart Strategies
Cape Town: 0027 21 788 1744
fax 086 6676278
Web: www.smartstrategies.co.za
