Johannesburg - More than 250 000 young people are set to be employed in various educational sectors after the government allocated more than R6 billion to Basic Education for job creation.
This was revealed by the government social cluster sector co-chaired by Health Minister Joe Phaahla and Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga in Pretoria on Thursday.
Announcing the jobs lifeline, Phaahla said their provision of jobs for young people came on the back of President Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address.
“The President said, among other things, that “the social economy including early childhood development, nursing, social work and community services has a significant potential not only to create jobs but to provide vital services that communities need,” said Phaahla.
“To this end, the Social Cluster is committed to taking forward the implementation of interventions aimed at improving social-economic lives of various communities in South Africa.
“One such intervention is the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) being implemented in the basic education sector which has created 570 000 employment opportunities for youth between 18 and 35 years old,” Phaahla said.
He said in the 2022/23 financial year, the government has set aside funding to support job creation, including the creation of employment opportunities for youth.
The Basic Education Sector has been allocated R6,19 billion to implement Phase III of the PYEI, saying through this funding, the sector would create more than 250 000 employment opportunities for youth, who are the most affected cohort by unemployment in the country.
“This means that by the end of the financial year 2022/23, the sector would have provided more than 800 000 employment opportunities for youth across the length and breadth of South Africa.
“The impact of this programme is significant as there is a school in every community; meaning that this intervention will be felt in all communities across the expanse of the country.
“Phase II will end on 31 March 2022, and Phase III will begin immediately after that, on 1 April 2022. Further details on Phase III will be communicated in the coming days,” said Phaahla.
He said with this training, the government would like to ensure that the young people leaving the initiative having gained valuable experience and skills that would open doors to other career pathways.
“In addition to this, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure has awarded bursaries to learners enrolled for courses in the Built Environment. The aim of this bursary programme is to bring more skilled professionals into the built environment.
“The programme is also aimed at removing financial barriers by providing funding for disadvantaged students to access built environment qualifications.
The bursaries accommodate the following study areas: Electrical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Civil Engineering; Marine Engineering; Property Studies/Real Estate; Actuarial Science; Quantity Surveying; Construction Project Management; Landscape Architecture; Architecture and Town and Regional Planning,” Phaahla said.
He said the government was acutely aware of these sectors having very low representation of women and persons with disabilities, and so as the government, they continue to engage with these sectors to bring about fair representation in the workforce.
baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za
Political Bureau