Pretoria – South Africa has launched a R71-million programme that will provide work experience for unemployed graduates.
Speaking at the launch of the Itukise Unemployed Graduates Programme in Cape Town on Tuesday, Trade and Industry Minister, Dr Rob Davies, said the dti will engage companies that have received incentives from the department to provide relevant work experience to unemployed graduates for 12 months.
“The Itukise programme presents an opportunity to develop and market the profile of the manufacturing sector to young people in the provision of decent work and in increasing opportunities for learning on and off the job,” said Minister Davies.
The department will also source internship placements for unemployed graduates from companies that are interested in the programme.
The National Skills Fund, within the Department of Higher Education and Training, has approved the R71 million funding over a two-year period for monthly stipends of placed graduates, which will be managed by the dti.
The programme will be implemented in three waves of intakes over two years. The first wave will start in April 2014, the second in August 2014 and the last wave will start on 1 April 2015.
Minister Davies said such programmes were necessitated by the structural changes to the country’s economy, which saw the huge demand of unskilled labour waning.
“Today most companies are looking for a high quality skilled force and that makes it more difficult for those without skills to find jobs in the labour market.
“Graduates represent a small but important share of the human resource capacity towards a competitive and value-adding economy. Itukise will contribute to reducing the loss of investment in education,” said the minister.
The CEO of the National Skills Fund, Mvuyisi Macikama, said every workplace in South Africa should be turned into a training space to create a skilled labour force.
He urged the youth to work hard, achieve the best standards and also to absorb as much as they can in order to master their craft. - SAnews.gov.za
