12 400 young people secure permanent jobs through WCG’s skills programmes

Since 2020, the Western Cape Government’s (WCG) Experiential Learning programme has helped approximately 12 420 young, unemployed South Africans, mostly from areas such as Mitchells Plain, Delft, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, and Langa, to gain permanent or contract jobs in the Western Cape.

“While the Western Cape has the lowest unemployment rate in South Africa, as confirmed yesterday by Statistics South Africa in the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the fact remains that far too many people, and especially young people, are not able to find work. At the same time, in almost all my interactions with businesses I hear how they struggle to find employees with the right skills needed. This is why the WCG’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism dedicates significant time, energy, and funding to provide a critical link between the needs of industry, academia, and unemployed young people,” said Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger.

Working with the private sector, stakeholders across all levels of government as well as international partners, DEDAT runs various skills development programmes in the Cape Town metropolitan area, as well as various rural towns including Darling, Caledon and Atlantis, aimed at providing opportunities to unemployed young South Africans.

The department’s experiential learning programmes include work and skills, artisanal development, clothing and textiles, business process outsourcing (BPO) and hospitality. All learners are from the Western Cape and are South African citizens.

By funding monthly stipends in collaboration with other spheres of government, topped up by the respective companies, unemployed young people are given the opportunity to receive a combination of structured or accredited training coupled with on-the-job experiential workplace exposure from between 4 to 12 months.

Companies are required to provide either permanent or contract work to 80% of those trained and in some cases, depending on the needs of the company, 100% of learners have been placed.

Since 2020, 15 527 beneficiaries have completed the experiential learning programmes, and with the requirement to absorb 80%, this means that approximately 12 420 have been absorbed into permanent or contract employment.

Some of the areas where our learners come from include:

“I am very encouraged by these results, and we are more determined than ever to help ensure that more young South Africans are given the opportunities they need to succeed. The WCG is working hard to boost the foundations for economic growth, to enable the creation of many more jobs in the province and South Africa. Without skills, this is simply not possible, and if we are to take full advantage of the immense potential of our economy we need to invest in the right qualifications, the right skills, and the right experience for jobs available now and in the future. One of the seven pillars of our economic action plan, ‘Growth For Jobs’, is our action plan to improve access to economic opportunities by investing in and working collaboratively with the private sector to upskill, to train, and to provide many more opportunities for young, unemployed South Africans,” concluded Minister Wenger.