Young people seeking workplace experience and on-the-job training can register on the SA Youth.mobi recruitment platform to connect with potential employers.
Registration is free, and the platform is zero-rated, meaning users can access the site and its content without data charges.
“We are expanding public employment, youth services and workplace experience. More than 5.7 million youth are now registered on the SA Youth.Mobi platform. More than 2 million of these youth have accessed earning opportunities,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said during National Youth Day celebrations in Johannesburg on Tuesday, June 16.
The President said the initiative has created work and livelihood opportunities for more than 2.5 million unemployed South Africans.
“Of these, 82% were young people and 66% were women. Through the pilot phase of the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund, over 9,000 youth have been enrolled and over 7,200 have been successfully placed into employment. This demonstrates the potential of training that is linked to employment opportunities,” President Ramaphosa said.
Presidential Youth Employment Intervention
The recruitment platform was established through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) with support from the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, the Department of Employment and Labour, the Department of Higher Education and Training, the National Youth Development Agency, the Youth Employment Service (YES) and the Development Bank of South Africa.
The aim of this initiative is to expand the range of opportunities available to young people in South Africa.
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It focuses on helping youth gain work experience and connecting them with jobs, entrepreneurship and skill development opportunities.
PYEI also partners with organizations that provide youth with additional support and resources on their path to earning income.
“The revitalized National Youth Service has placed over 130,000 youth in paid service opportunities to date, with an additional 100,000 community service youth employment opportunities currently available.
The President said, “These interventions give youth a foothold in the world of work, but they are not the final destination. That is why our top priority at this time is to develop an inclusive economy that creates sustainable jobs on a large scale.”
Ramaphosa said the government was moving away from training for its own self-interest.
“We are reshaping the skills system so that qualifications lead directly to work and enterprise. That is why we are strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVT) colleges as engines of vocational skills and connecting colleges, employers and SETAs to the needs of local economies.
The President said, “Skills are not built just in classrooms. They are built in workplaces, industries, communities and enterprises.”
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building a productive economy
Ramaphosa said the state would invest R1tn in infrastructure over the next three years, with the funding creating opportunities for young people in apprenticeships, artisan development, skills transfer and enterprise development.
“We are building and maintaining roads, dams, schools, hospitals, clinics, power lines, railway lines and port infrastructure.
“Our growth strategy focuses on sectors that create jobs on a large scale: manufacturing, mining beneficiation, digital infrastructure, agriculture, green industrialization, energy, logistics, critical minerals, tourism and the creative economy,” he said.
The President said that youth should be an integral part of these industries.
“They should be trained for these industries, work in them, set up businesses in them and own a stake in them,” he said.
Additionally, the Small Business Portfolio will provide support to one million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises during this tenure of the government.
“The Public Procurement Act gives us the opportunity to use the purchasing power of the state to support enterprises owned by young people, women and persons with disabilities,” Ramaphosa said.