Young people seeking workplace experience and on-the-job training can register on the SA Youth.mobi recruitment platform to connect with potential employers.
Registration is free, and the platform is zero-rated, meaning users can access the site and its contents without incurring data charges.
“We are expanding public employment, youth service and workplace experience. More than 5.7 million young people are now registered on the SA Youth.mobi platform. Of these, more than 2 million young people have gained access to earning opportunities,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday, during the National Youth Day commemoration, in Johannesburg.
The President said the initiative has created work and livelihood opportunities for more than 2.5 million unemployed South Africans.
“Of these, 82 percent were young people and 66 percent were women. Through the pilot phase of the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund, over 9 000 young people have been enrolled and more than 7 200 successfully placed into employment. This shows the potential of training that is linked to employment opportunities,” President Ramaphosa said.
The recruitment platform was established through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), with support from Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, the Department of Employment and Labour, the Department of Higher Education and Training, the National Youth Development Agency, Youth Employment Service (YES) and the Development Bank of South Africa.
The initiative aims to expand the range of opportunities available to young people in South Africa.
It focuses on helping young people gain work experience and linking them to jobs, entrepreneurship and skills development opportunities.
The PYEI also partners with organisations that provide young people with additional support and resources on their pathway to earning.
“The revitalised National Youth Service has placed more than 130 000 young people in paid service opportunities to date, with an additional 100 000 community service youth employment opportunities currently available.
“These interventions give young people a foothold in the world of work, but they are not the final destination. That is why our overarching priority at the moment is to grow an inclusive economy that creates sustainable jobs at scale,” the President said.
Ramaphosa said government is moving away from training for its own sake.
“We are reshaping the skills system so that qualifications lead more directly to work and enterprise. That is why we are strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as engines of occupational skills and linking colleges, employers and SETAs to the needs of local economies.
“Skills are not formed in classrooms alone. They are formed in workplaces, industries, communities and enterprises,” the President said.
Building a productive economy
With the state investing R1 trillion in infrastructure over the next three years, Ramaphosa said the funding will create apprenticeships, artisan development, skills transfer and enterprise development opportunities for young people.
“We are building and maintaining roads, dams, schools, hospitals, clinics, electricity lines, railway lines and port infrastructure.
“Our growth strategy is focused on sectors that create jobs at scale: manufacturing, mining beneficiation, digital infrastructure, agriculture, green industrialisation, energy, logistics, critical minerals, tourism and the creative economy,” he said.
The President added that young people must be an integral part of these industries.
“They must be trained for these industries, work in them, build businesses in them and own a part of them,” he said.
Furthermore, the small business portfolio will provide support to one million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises over this term of government.
“The Public Procurement Act gives us the opportunity to use the buying power of the state to support enterprises owned by young people, women and persons with disabilities,” Ramaphosa said. -SAnews.gov.za
