According to Stats SA, youth unemployment in South Africa reached an all time high of 64.40 percent in the second quarter of 2021. The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Manchu Group have partnered to contribute towards addressing this challenge by initiating several skills and enterprise development programmes focusing on priority sectors of the KwaZulu-Natal economy.
Learning Programmes
A skills programme targeting 60 unemployed matriculants around eThekwini was rolled out during 2019. Learners obtained valuable ICT and business skills which enabled some of them to secure full time employment.
Currently, 15 unemployed Youth have been enrolled on a 12 month MICTSETA accredited learnership programme focusing on critical ICT skills. Further learnership and internship programmes are planned for later in 2022 in sectors such as agriculture, engineering and automotive, tourism, transport and logistics, and financial services. All learning programmes are accredited by relevant SETAs.
Placement in Organisations
Durban Chamber members are invited to assist by placing some of the learners within their organisations for purposes of obtaining workplace experience. The placement will be limited to the duration of the learnership which is 12 months.
All learners have been equipped with a laptop, and each learner receives a monthly stipend subsidised by the relevant SETA. Durban Chamber members are encouraged to top up the monthly stipends for the learners where feasible.
Benefits to Stakeholders
Assisting learners on this programme will contribute to the creation of a new youth cadre that is skilled and able to take up available job opportunities, and even establish their own businesses.
Benefits to Learners
The benefits to learners that attend this programme are many and include:
· Learning critical technical and business skills that position them favourably in the jobs market.
· Opportunity to apply their learning and learn new skills in the workplace for the duration of the programme.
· Regularly interacting with and being mentored by experienced personnel in the workplace.
· Regaining self-confidence and social acceptance.
· Serving as a role model to those that may be currently struggling with unemployment.
· Improved credit rating and access to personal and business funding.
Benefits to Host Employers
There are numerous benefits for host employers, including the following:
· Subsidised additional resources to be applied to various parts of the business.
· A pool of talent for recruitment purposes as the host company gets first right of refusal to employ the learners it hosts.
· Limited financial commitment towards the learners being hosted.
· Learners may be included for purposes of their BEE scorecards.
EXIT STRATEGY
Work Seekers
Host employers will be encouraged to retain the learners at the end of the learnership. Where this is not possible, then learners will be provided with referral letters and introduced to other potential employers.
Entrepreneurs
Learners that wish to establish their own businesses on completion of the learnership will be assigned to relevant businesspeople for entrepreneurial guidance and mentorship. These learners will also be assisted by the Durban Chamber to register their business and attend to all necessary business compliance requirements, The support will include registration with the CIPC and linkages with potential customers that are members of the Chamber.
For more information
Email info@durbanchamber.co.za
Call: +27 (0)31 335 1000
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