Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) revealed that about 3.5 million, or 34.5% of the 10.2 million young people aged 15-24 in the country were not in employment, education or training.
Sector Education and Training Authority's (SETA) are viewed by the government as an invaluable weapon that can be used to combat unemployment in South Africa. This is because they can provide youth with skills that could lead to a range of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Phyllis Vilakazi, chairperson at the Greater Eldorado Park Youth Innovation Hub explains that not all youth are academically inclined and some may be technically inclined.
They believe that through skills development, youth that are technically inclined will be able to participate in the South African economy.
The Greater Eldorado Park Youth Innovation Hub provides several skills development courses which aim to empower youth with skills they can use to pursue employment opportunities.
They provide youth with skills in IT, Call Centre work, Welding, Electrical work, New venture creations, project management, hair academy work and tyre repair skills.
Graduates of the centre emphasise the importance of entrepreneurship and creating employment through the skills acquired from the centre.
Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) CEO Bontle Lerumo said that some jobs will not be relevant in five years. However, there will be new occupations that will require new competencies.
In an effort to ensure students are equipped with the skills needed for new competencies, PSETA announced a partnership with Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). This partnership aims to ensure an alignment between industry and the government is created to address the future needs of the sector.
The SETA will train students to be employable and encourage them to come up with innovative ideas as South Africa cannot be solely depended on to create jobs for youth.
Dr Vathiswa Papu-Zamxaka Deputy Vice Chancellor of TUT said the collaboration with PSETA aligns with their vision to produce “skilled personnel to serve our country”.
Papu-Zamxaka added that universities are not monuments of elite. They stress that universities must work with the government to resolve societal challenges faced by those living in South Africa.
They will aim to aid the creation of youth employment by considering the skills development issues that might have been previously neglected but are necessary for industry
Labour and Employment Minister Thulas Nxesi said that there was not enough emphasis on the technical side of education, nor the prospects of self-employment. The minister emphasised that these types of centres need to be accessible, especially to youth in the townships and rural youth.
The minister also encouraged youth to register and submit their CVs to the Employment Services database. They explained that the Department of Employment and Labour uses the database to match individuals with different private sector companies that require their skills.
