Monday marks the ‘first day of school’ for about 200 000 young people at more than 20 000 institutions across the country, where they’ll be equipped with essential work skills.
As the fifth phase of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) gets underway, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged employers to give young people their “next opportunity, mentor their enthusiasm and foster their potential”.
Around 200 000 young people will experience their ‘first day of school’ on Monday — not as students, but as participants at more than 20 000 institutions across the country, where they’ll be equipped with essential work skills.
However, this time, they’re not arriving as pupils — they’re stepping into schools as working adults. These young participants are part of the fifth phase of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), South Africa’s largest youth employment programme to date.
‘New dawn’
Writing in his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa said the BEEI brings “hope, energy and incomes to places where opportunities are too often out of reach”.
“This programme is designed to develop the work skills that employers say they need, such as time management, task management, teamwork, problem-solving, IT, admin and much more”.
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Helping hand
Ramaphosa said every participant has their own hopes and dreams for their future beyond this programme.
“As a society, we cannot leave young people to navigate the transition into work alone. Together, we need to step up to assist them. These young people will leave the school environment having shown up, contributed and made a difference.
“They will have worked in high-pressure environments with limited resources and will understand deadlines and responsibility. To employers, we say: give them their next opportunity, mentor their enthusiasm, help take their potential to the next level,” Ramaphosa said.
Entrepreneurs
Ramaphosa said the country also needs to reach those young people who want to be entrepreneurs.
“We need to find new ways to support those who want to create their own jobs and local value, to connect them to finance, training, markets and networks.
“Through the Presidential Employment Stimulus, we have demonstrated the government’s capacity to address the youth unemployment problem. Through this programme, we have been able to give young people work experience and a pathway to formal employment or even further education,” Ramaphosa said.
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