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Nxesi encourages students to become entrepreneurs

Minister Thulas Nxesi

Minister Thulas Nxesi

Photo by Duane Daws

6th October 2015

By: Megan van Wyngaardt

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

  

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There are still many opportunities for South Africa’s black high school learners to find jobs in future, both in the public and private sectors, provided that the learners apply discipline and commitment to study, Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Construction and Property Career Week, organised by the Property Sector Charter Council, in Sandton, he pointed out that “the opportunities are there . . . where once black learners were excluded now the doors of education and training have been opened – but you must walk through those doors of learning and work for your goals”.

He highlighted that through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the Small Enterprise Finance Agency, government ring-fenced R2.7-billion over the next five years for young people to take up opportunities in business.

“We are encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs,” he added, noting that, in the last financial year, NYDA supported 1 043 micro and small youth-owned enterprises.

The agency also provided nonfinancial business development support to 63 000 young aspiring and established entrepreneurs.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) also had active schools, bursary, candidacy, internship and artisan programmes with some 1 297 participants and, in the last year, trained 120 youths in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga to operate water treatment services.

Currently, a further 320 unemployed science and engineering graduates were receiving training and would be appointed to 97 water facilities across the country.

The DPW was also providing assistance to students from further education and training and higher education institutions with workplace and experiential training, as well as internships to meet the requirements of their qualifications and enable them to be employable.

“Learnerships offer matriculants a training opportunity while also giving them access to employment opportunities,” Nxesi said, adding that these areas of training included office administration, public sector accounting, customer management, information technology and general security services.

The DPW also offered 36-month technical internships, as well as 24-month support internships, artisan trainee programmes, a young professionals/candidacy programme for the construction sector and a property and asset management development programme, to students.

Nxesi added that, during the 2015/16 financial year, the local government education and training authority would fund finance and supply chain management graduate internships, resulting in the appointment of 250 graduate interns, while the DPW would also collaborate with the Construction Education and Training Authority, Generational Training –hosting 306 water/chemical/environmental science graduates in its water treatment facilities across the country, and with the South African Graduates Development Association and Estate Agency Affairs Board’s property management project aiming to create a pool of qualified personnel for the department’s Property Management Trading entity.

Nxesi noted that 3 900 youth would benefit from this initiative.

“For the 2015/2016 financial year, we will also continue with the roll-out of the internal auditors professional programme, which will result in the production of Chartered Internal Auditors for the department. Currently, 24 officials are participating in the programme that is facilitated by the Institute of Internal Auditors,” he added.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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