A New Campus And It Is Only The Beginning

For Dr Garrett Eriksen, Academic Director at Cango Academy, that question is the entire point. "The open day on 5 September lets Oudtshoorn see for itself what this campus is building towards," he says. "We wanted the community walking through those doors early, because this is ultimately their skills pipeline as much as it is ours."

What Africa Skills brings to the table

The first course through the door will be Plumbing Hand, an NQF Level 3 qualification delivered by Africa Skills Training and Management over 61 days, combining theory, practical training and workplace exposure, with a Grade 9 minimum entry requirement. Intake begins 7 September. 

Further Academy programmes, in handyman work, residential repair, tourism, agriculture and retail, are expected to follow. Africa Skills brings the accreditation and the vocational infrastructure. What it needed was the right site, and the right partner, to anchor it locally.

Why Cango, and why now

Cango Wildlife’s Cango Academy already runs a growing Work Integrated Learning programme with Nelson Mandela University and the NewBridge Graduate Institute, placing conservation and nature management students directly into the daily operations of the facilityand its private reserve. The new campus building extends that same ethos: that skills are best taught close to where they will actually be used, building into an entirely new set of trades.

Beyond the Africa Skills programmes, Cango Academy is developing its own course offerings, combining online learning with accredited practical training at Cango Wildlife itself, aimed at careers in conservation, sustainability, technology, tourism and animal care. Those courses are expected to launch in 2027. 

"Together, we're building something that can grow well beyond a single trade, into a genuine pathway for this town. Innovation is what drives socio-economic development and I believe the Garden Route can be South Africa’s Silicon Valley." says Douglas Eriksen, CEO of Cango Wildlife.

The campus's ambitions do not stop at the classroom. Alongside the academic and vocational programmes, Cango Wildlife is positioning the site as an innovation centre for the wider town: coworking spaces, a computer lab, workshop facilities, and a calendar of events and conferences, all built around a strong focus on entrepreneurial skills development. It is a recognition that Oudtshoorn's next generation will not only need trades and qualifications, but also the tools and space to build their own ventures on the back of them.

A town built for this

Oudtshoorn has never lacked potential. What it has often lacked is somewhere close to home to turn that potential into a qualification, a trade, or a career. The Academy changes that equation, one student at a time.

Oudtshoorn has a name recognised across South Africa in Cango Wildlife, a facility with genuine tourism and conservation pedigree, and now a purpose-built campus to match. Put together, that is a serious foundation for a local skills economy, and Cango Wildlife intends to keep building on it.

Residents are invited to see the campus for themselves at the community open day on 5 September, at 291 Adderley Street. Enquiries about Plumbing Hand and future programmes can be directed to Africa Skills ([email protected]) or Cango Academy ([email protected]). The campus is open. Oudtshoorn's next generation of tradespeople, conservationists and hospitality professionals starts walking through its doors this September.