City gives unskilled Jozi youth tools to succeed

06 February 2017

 

Twenty-one unskilled young men and women were over the moon at the Metro Centre in Braamfontein on Friday February 3 when they were presented with national certificates after completing the Environmental Practice Level 2 Learnership Programme.

 

The learnership is the result of a collaboration between the City of Johannesburg’s Economic Development Department, Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA) and the Networx Group, a leading training service provider.

The 21 learners were part of a group of 25 young men and women who entered the 12-month learnership programme in March 2016 to gain technical skills and exposure to the environmental arena. Four learners dropped out during the course of the programme.

The programme paves the way for the youth to work in the environmental space, particularly in the recycling arena.

“Our graduates have attained technical skills which they will use in the workplace. They have also gained leadership and management skills, as well as soft skills that will empower them to communicate,” said Ali Sithole, a Youth Officer in the City’s Economic Development Department.

Sithole said the Environmental Practice Learnership Level 2 was aimed at uplifting youth without Grade 12 education.

“Today we are bestowing them with certificates that are accredited by LGSETA. They can use the qualifications to apply for jobs in companies dealing with recycling or use the skills they have mastered to become future employers,” he added.

Networx Chief Operations Officer Monwabisi Nkomentaba said after completing the programme, the graduates would have better employment opportunities.

“We always make sure that we have a solid exit strategy for our graduates. We look at the possibilities of the learners getting employed after completing the programme. From here, it’s either they go into new jobs or enrol for the next level of the qualification, or get absorbed into the companies they were training under. We make sure that we track them – from when they enter the learnership until they exit,” he said.

One of the elated graduates, 25-year-old Kabelo Padi, said the programme had equipped her with skills to be employable. She said her newly acquired qualifications could also help her venture into entrepreneurship.

“We will give back the skills wherever we go and encourage young people with potential to see the light. We are fortunate to have been granted an opportunity like this by the City and its partners,” Padi said.

LGSETA provided funds for the learnership and monitored standards and regulations in the running of the programme.

“It is our responsibility to make sure that there is quality and compliance in the process,” said Shirley Nhlapo, an LGSETA Administrator.

The LGSETA funded the programme. Learners received a R1 500 a month stipend. The new intake will commence the programme in March 2017.