Central University of Technology Economist, Mgcinazwe Zwane, says it is shocking that government has only realised now that young people need to be skilled.
Zwane was reacting to the launch of government’s labour activation programme in Bloemfontein yesterday.
The aim of the programme is to empower young people by giving them skills to make them employable.
Zwane says it will be difficult for government to sustain the programme in the midst of a distressed economy.
He says, “The question that we are asking ourselves is, why wait until the election year to come with an initiative? For the past five years, there were so many that were unemployed, others were qualified, but they were never given the opportunities to be employed because the employer always want skills, experience.”
“The government knew about this problem and they never took the initiative to re-skill these learners and give them the opportunity to cast their knowledge and skills. Yes, for temporary it does alleviate the problem of unemployment, but in the long run will they sustain it? Where will the money come from?”
Some beneficiaries of the programme are excited.
One student says, “I’m a plumbing student under FDC (Free State Development Corporation) and UIF, and we’re going to complete on 16 May 2024. We were taught about domestic plumbing, about how to fix the taps, fix sewages, drainage blockage. There’s a lot in plumbing that we have learnt and we are willing to utilise whatever we’ve learnt in that.”
Another student says, “I’m an assistant chef there, when I started this programme, it taught me a lot about decision-making and working under pressure in the kitchen, and the kitchen is the place where you can find yourself. So this program taught me a lot.”
