Pillar 01 · Skills Development

Equipping hands.
Building futures.

Unemployment is one of the greatest barriers facing the communities we serve. At Nation Changers, we believe that when you give someone a skill, you give them a future. Our Skills Development programmes focus on practical, marketable abilities that people can use immediately to generate income, start businesses and provide for their families.

Our Pathway

How our Skills Development pathway works

Four phases take a person from learning a skill to earning an income and stepping into the workplace.

  1. 01Learn a skill

    Sewing classes

    Practical sewing for unemployed women, from basic repairs to garments for sale.

    Mon, Wed and Thu · 08:30 to 12:00

  2. 02Earn an income

    The Clothing Box

    Shoppers buy donated clothing at affordable prices and resell it, building a livelihood through a two-year programme.

    120+ entrepreneurs in 2026

  3. 03Get work-ready

    Job Readiness

    A week-long course in personal growth and development, ending in an interview, assessment and feedback.

    One week

  4. 04Step into work

    Workplace experience

    Placement in workplace experience, short term and unpaid or longer with a small stipend, ready to enter the job market.

    With partner businesses

Our programmes

A volunteer teaching a sewing class at the Nation Changers Centre

Sewing Classes

Who it's for
Unemployed women from local impoverished communities
Volunteer role
Sewing teacher
When
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 08:30 to 12:00
Where
Nation Changers Centre @ CityHill Church

From basic repairs to producing garments for sale, our sewing programme gives participants a skill with real commercial value. Many of our graduates have gone on to start small dressmaking businesses, earn additional income from alterations, and teach their skills to others in their communities. The ripple effect of one skill can transform an entire household.

Sorted clothing on the rails at The Clothing Box shop

The Clothing Box: Enterprise Development

Volunteer role
Shop assistant, or debrand and sort clothing
Shop hours
Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 13:00
Sort & debrand
Mondays and Wednesdays, 08:30 to 10:30
Where
Nation Changers Centre @ CityHill Church

The Clothing Box is more than a secondhand shop: it is an enterprise development initiative. Donated clothing is sorted, steamed and made available to community shoppers at affordable prices. The shoppers themselves are entrepreneurs: the income they generate from purchasing and reselling clothing creates a livelihood for their families.

In 2023, 164 entrepreneurs were actively shopping and building income streams through The Clothing Box. Donations of good-condition used clothing are always welcome.

Learners and volunteers at work in the Nation Changers Centre

Job Readiness

Our Job Readiness Programme is a week-long course facilitating personal growth and development, aimed at readying capable people for the workplace. At the end of the week, candidates are interviewed, assessed and given feedback on their overall performance.

From here, our hope is to place students in relevant workplace experience, whether short term and unpaid or long term with a small stipend, giving them the experience they need to enter the job market effectively.

Volunteer role
Businesses and people able to provide work experience, mentorship and internships for students who have completed the programme

Offer Work Experience

For Businesses & Mentors

Offer work experience, mentorship or an internship

We are looking for those able to provide work experience, mentorship and internships for students who have completed our Job Readiness Programme.

Our candidates have completed the week-long course and have been interviewed, assessed and given feedback. If your business can offer short term unpaid experience, a longer placement with a small stipend, or mentorship, we would love to hear from you.

Once you submit the form, we will match and refer candidates who meet your requirements and are interested in the type of work you offer. You will meet candidates before confirming a placement, so the process works well for your team and the candidate.

Offer an Opportunity

Tell us about your business and the opportunity you can offer, and we will match candidates to you.

Stories from This Pillar

What happened this month

Fresh stories from the classes, the shop and the workplace, updated every month.

New stories are added every month. Read stories from all three pillars.

Questions and answers

Who can join the Nation Changers sewing classes?

The sewing classes are for unemployed women from local impoverished communities. They run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 08:30 to 12:00 at the Nation Changers Centre at CityHill Church.

What is the Job Readiness Programme?

A week-long course in personal growth and development that readies capable people for the workplace. At the end of the week candidates are interviewed, assessed and given feedback, and we then work to place them in workplace experience.

How does The Clothing Box create income?

Donated clothing is sorted, steamed and sold to community shoppers at affordable prices. The shoppers are entrepreneurs who resell the clothing, creating a livelihood for their families.

Want to volunteer as a skills facilitator or donate materials?

We would love to have you on board.

Volunteer with Skills Development   Donate to Skills Development