Pretoria - The Free State's unemployed youth with a tertiary qualification will now be given a chance to gain practical skills in various fields.
The Frees State Education Department is calling on graduates to send applications for the 2011 internship programme.
Education MEC Tate Makgoe said the internship programme was part of the department's initiatives to address its critical and scarce skills and also afford inexperienced graduates an opportunity to gain practical skills for them to be employable.
"The department is recruiting interns who have completed their diploma or degrees in the following field: IT, Educational Psychology/ Counseling Psychology, Library, Social Work, Accounting, Internal Audit, Law, Speech Therapy, Transport Management and Supply Chain Management," Makgoe said.
Makgoe pointed out that first preference will be given to bursary holders, but people with disability and youth in rural areas are also encouraged to apply.
The programme takes place over a period of 12 months.
Interested unemployed graduates can contact the officials for more information: SL Baloyi-Mothibeli on (051) 404-9560, NP Motloung on (051) 404-9561 or OS Kubeka on (051) 404-9558.
Meanwhile, the Free State Provincial Government will on Friday launch the end-user computing learnership for 600 unemployed youth from Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, Odendaalsrus, Steynsrus and Thaba Nchu.
The youth will also undergo a 12 month training programme to run until February 2012, through the Information Systems Electronics and Telecommunication Sector Education and Training Authority.
During the training, learners will each receive a stipend of R1 200 per month for living expenses.
The launch takes place as part of government's efforts to address high levels of unemployment and persistent scarcity of skills required by the labour market, to provide unemployed youth with the necessary skills to become self-sufficient and productive.
"The success of this launch is the culmination of the partnership the Free State provincial government has established with a number of sector education and training authorities to ensure coordination and focus in skills development approach for the youth in the province," the provincial government said in statement.
A total of 5 000 youth from four towns including townships in and around Bloemfontein are being targeted for the programme.
