the lead-up to the Matric class of 2023’s final exams, anxiety looms. While some will pursue tertiary education, the majority face the highly competitive job market and the harsh prospect of unemployment.
“As things stand, school leavers have little hope of finding work. They lack essential skills, have no access to training opportunities and limited access to finance for entrepreneurship – in a stagnant job market,” he notes. Naidoo acknowledges skills development as being a long-recognised government priority and he commends the actions already taken which have resulted in a value chain in which:
* Training providers such as EduPower, focus on comprehensive learnership programmes that include job-readiness skills, training and entrepreneurship.“These multi-tiered partnerships have made significant strides in supporting skills development and job placement initiatives for young people, but it is not enough,” he asserts. “Youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb that will not self-correct.