DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC ENTERPRISES
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO.: 22137
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 August 2011
2137. Mrs G M Borman (ANC) to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises:
Whether his department has (a) budgeted for, (b) identified the personnel
and (c) developed a business plan to run the Youth Development Initiative
programme of his department which is aimed at (i) developing the
participation of the youth in the economy and (ii) enabling them to access
information and opportunities in state-owned enterprises; if not, why not;
if so, what are the relevant details? NW2444E
REPLY
DPE Specific
(a)(b)(i)(ii) The Department of Public Enterprises annually allocates a
budget in each financial year specifically for youth development, and for
the 2011/12 Financial Year an amount of R1.7 million has been allocated.
This budget is managed within the Corporate Services Unit through the Human
Resource Development function, and the Communications Unit,.
The programmes that are undertaken by DPE include:
⢠Graduate Development Programme: this targets full-time students at
universities to further their studies at Honours and Masters Levels
relevant to the DPEâs scarce and critical skills. On completion, the
students will be given a twoâyear-contract in the department and later
considered for full-time employment based on operational requirements and
vacancies available in the department.
⢠Internship programme: this targets graduates at universities and
universities of technology and provides work experience for a year.
⢠Take a Girl Child to Work Programme: focuses on grade 11 and 12 pupils
from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, from schools in the
surrounding areas, for exposure to DPE work.
⢠Outreach activities to raise awareness on the initiatives of DPE and its
State Owned Companies (SOCs) to promote youth empowerment, including
participation in the Youth month activities as prescribed by government
DPE and State Owned Companies (SOC)
(a)(b)(i)(ii) In June 2011, the DPE launched a Youth Development Initiative
with the aim of ensuring coordination and increased efforts to youth
empowerment by DPE and through the SOCs.
The DPE is undergoing a structural review, as part of its Estimates of
National Expenditure (ENE) submission for consideration by DPSA, and
National Treasury to support its new strategic direction, which includes
institutional capacity for this Youth Initiative to ensure that it is fully
implemented.
A Steering Committee made up of relevant business units within the
department is currently driving the programme on youth and will align it to
the transformation focus of DPE, in support of its contribution to the New
Growth Path and related developmental outputs.
The initiative focuses on opportunities for youth economic empowerment
through the SOC, in the following areas:
⢠Employment (direct & indirect).
⢠Skills development.
⢠Entrepreneurship promotion.
⢠Corporate Social Investment and related issues.
The intention is to ensure meaningful participation of youth in the economy
through facilitating responsive strategies and programmes of DPE and SOCs.
To date, a Career/Job exhibition has been undertaken with all SOCs to
expose youth to available programmes of relevance to them. This includes
those commitments, and targets set by SOCs that are part of the National
Skills Accord. The Department is also in collaboration with the DHET in
finding ways to help the SOCs support and stretch their training capacity
to bring in more young people, especially in scarce and mostly required
areas of the economy.
An electronic link through DPEâs website has been created to allow youth
and broader public access to information about the programme; and its link
to SOCs. This will be supported by an Annual Youth Information Booklet
that will be launched before the end of 2011 to capture the thrust of the
programme and programmes that youth can access.