Cape Town – Youth unemployment in the country currently stands at 46.5% with the total number of unemployed people in the 15–34 age group standing at 4.9 million.
This is according to first quarter results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS).
In a bid to intervene and make a difference in the lives of young people in South Africa, SOS Children’s Villages is providing its young programme participants with opportunities to up their game and increase employment prospects.
Since Youth Day is a day to reflect on the struggles faced by the youth of 1976 as well as to celebrate their contributions towards the liberation of the country, we highlight these programmes that will equip the youth with knowledge and skills to help them develop independence in and out of the workplace.
– SOS Children’s Villages’ YouthCan! programme provides career guidance, mentorship programmes, and practical on-the-job experience.
Through corporate partnerships, YouthCan! participants receive professional training opportunities in the beauty, hospitality, and art industries. There are also opportunities for learnerships, internships and job-shadowing opportunities.
– The YouthLinks programme focuses on mentorship. The participants are linked with seasoned mentors from various sectors who provide them with support and guidance in their chosen career paths.
What makes YouthLinks programme stand out is that unlike the usual mentorship programmes which are limited by geographical location, technological interventions are used to guarantee that participants and mentors can interact in real time without problems.
According to Peter Kotlolo, SOS Children’s Villages national projects co-ordinator and acting programme director in Sekhukhune, the challenges faced by the South African youth require urgent and bold interventions.
“Through the various partnerships we have established over the years, SOS Children’s Villages provides its young programme participants with a number of opportunities such as mentorship programmes and entrepreneurial training,” said Kotlolo.
The government also has learnerships, services and job-related opportunities for the youth.
– Young people who are energetic, intelligent, and physically and mentally fit can consider enlisting as police trainees. From time to time the SAPS invites people to apply.
– The National Rural Youth Service Corps programme seeks to improve skills development by providing unemployed youth in rural areas with opportunities to work in their communities.
IOL