Noella graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Industrial Psychology and Employment Law from the University of the Western Cape in March 2011. She joined Mthente in 2008 to do data capturing for a particular project. She then stayed on to join Mthente’s Work Experience Programme and assisted with research and project support one day a week, as well as offering assistance full-time during school holidays. She was employed as a full-time Research Assistant as of November 2010.

During her time at Mthente, Noella has worked on a range of projects including:

• An assessment of the state of visual art education in the Western Cape;
• The DTI South Africa in Africa: Trade Investment and Infrastructure Development Handbook;
• An ILO/SADC Employers Group study on the impact of the global economic crisis on selected SADC countries;
• An internal and external audit of perceptions of employees towards the services provided by their Department’s Centre for e-Innovation;
• Research for the Eskom Energy Losses Prevention (ELP) Campaign;
• Research for the Department of Science and Technology – Examining the Effectiveness of Funding Instruments for Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Human Capital.
• Noella has also assisted with administration, data capturing, telephonic and face-to face interviews, as well as delivering a report on a Needs Assessment with Fashion Designers in the Western Cape for the Cape Town Fashion Council.

In her spare time she volunteers at Africa Unite and local NGO as a Human Rights Peer Educator and is also very involved in the JCC the youth branch of her church.