YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: PRESENTATION ON YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT BY NATIONAL YOUTH
COMMISSION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON LABOUR
1. Role of NYC, UYF and SAYC defined
2. Past decade achievements
3. Legislative framework
4. Youth participation in the economic mainstream 5. Barriers to youth
employment
6. Proposed areas for intervention
7. Current Programmes (Work in progress)
8. Challenges to current interventions
9. Recommendations
The NYC
The NYC is a statutory body created by an Act of Parliament (National
Youth Commission Act No 19 Of 1996) to fulfill the following objectives:
·
Coordinate and develop national youth policy
·
Advocate for youth development in government
·
Coordinate and monitor issues of youth development in govt
·
To promote uniformity of approach by ALL organs of state, to matters
relating to or involving the youth
·
To coordinate the activities of various Provincial and Local govt
institutions involved in youth matters and to link those activities to the
integrated national youth policy
·
To develop recommendations relating to any other matters which may affect
the youth
Umsobomvu Youth Fund
·
Established through the Demutualization Act to promote youth
entrepreneurship
·
Main role of UYF is to finance skills development and employment creation
for the youth
South African Youth Council.
·
Independent body representing youth formations in civil society
·
ensures participation of-young people in national development &
reconstruction initiatives aimed at young people
Past Decade Achievements
·
Setting up of appropriate institutional mechanisms Provincial Youth
Commissions
·
Establishment of SAYC
·
The adoption of the National Youth Development Policy Framework 2002 -
2007
·
Establishment of the UYF
·
Establishment of NSFAS
·
NYS policy and implementation plan
Legislative Framework
·
National Youth Commission Act
·
Labour Relations Act
·
Employment Equity Act
·
Basic Conditions of Employment
·
National Skills Development Act
·
Preferential Procurement Framework
·
Small Business Act
Youth participation in the economic mainstream of the country
·
Youth constitutes 75% of the unemployed people in SA (Labour force market
survey of March 2005 by Statistics South Africa). This against the increased
student intake at institutions of higher learning and high numbers of
unemployed graduates
·
Youth economic participation is characterised by 3 categories:
(i) Skills level of youth
(ii) Opportunities to create youth employment
(ii) Opportunities for funding youth driven ventures
Barriers to Youth Employment
·
Lack of adequate and required skill (often higher institutions of
learning do not adequately prepare young people for the demands of the labour
market)
·
The relationship between economic growth and the needs of the labour
market
·
Lack of support to enable young people to create sustainable businesses
·
Lack of access to funding to start youth owned businesses
Proposed Areas for Intervention
·
Education and skills development (Learnerships)
·
Public Private Partnerships
·
Youth Business Development (Entrepreneurial development)
·
Access to funding (business start-up) and support (mentoring)
Current Programmes (Work in progress)
Specific Interventions towards achieving youth employment:
·
National Youth Service Programme
·
Youth Economic Participation
·
Young Farmers Programme
·
Supporting interventions:
·
Youth Information Services
·
Local Government Programme (Capacity building, Advocacy & Research)
Challenges to Current Intervention
·
Learnerships (Enacted through the Skills development Act, aimed at
integrating theoretical learning and obtaining sufficient work experience)
−
Currently large numbers of young people are enrolled in leanership
programmes through various SETA's but there aren't clearly identified exit
opportunities strategies
·
NYS (promotes the involvement of young people in activities which provide
benefits to the community while developing the abilities of young people
through service and learning)
·
Lack of exit strategies where young people gain employment or go for
further training
·
Expanded Public Works Programme (Labour intensive Programme aimed at the
creation of short to medium term employment and cultivation of entrepreneurs)
−
Employment is short term and hence therefore not sustainable
·
Youth business development (UYF established to promote and finance youth
entrepreneurial development and skills development}
−
Large numbers of young people have not gained access to funding.
·
ASGISA (is an interventionist plan aimed at bolstering economic growth
Ensuring the reduction of unemployment and poverty by 50% by the year 2014).
·
Consists of a limited youth specific set of interventions intended to
capacitate young people and increase their employability and their options to
engage in self-employment
Recommendations
·
Development of a comprehensive economic empowerment strategy for young
people
·
Access to funding to start youth owned businesses
·
Appropriate and relevant training to prepare young people for the demands
of the labour market through various higher institutions of learning, FET
colleges and SETA's
·
Development of coordinated internship programmes to address lack of
skills through the involvement of government, parastatals, development finance
institutions and NGO's
·
A clear funding support mechanism for FET institutions
·
A clear implementation plan for the youth specific proposals contained
within the ASGISA framework
WORK WITH YOUTH, BUILD THE FUTURE NOW!!