NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 91 ( CO522E )
Ms M P Themba (ANC-Mpumalanga) to ask the Minister of Labour:
Whether, he has engaged any structures and/or government entities
towards creating employment opportunities for the youth, particularly
in the (a) rural and (b) farm areas as at 1 June 2004 up to the latest
specified date for which information is available; if not, why not; if
so, what are the relevant details?
CO522E
MINISTER OF LABOUR RESPONSE:
1 (a) &(b) There are an number of projects that Department of Labour
has worked on even before 01st June 2004 that were aimed at creating
employment opportunities for youth in both Rural and urban areas. The
programmes involved, how they are offered and funded is as follows:
⢠The Department assisted young people in schools, unemployed
youth and those under-employed with employment services
information before 2004. The employment services functions are
provided for under the Skills Development Act and remained with
the Department of Labour when skills development was transferred
to Higher Education and Training. These services include
registration of job seekers and job opportunities, career
guidance and counselling, recruitment and selection, competency
assessment, referrals to training and placement in job
opportunities that include EPWP and cooperatives. These services
continue to be offered through the Departmentâs 125 Labour
Centres, the visiting points wherein we use mobile trucks and
the 79 Thusong Centres that we participate in and are funded by
the National Treasury Allocation.
⢠We had school to work transition projects under the National
Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) 2001 â 2005 and NSDS 2005
-2010, Objective âAssisting new entrants into employmentâ. These
projects involved Sector Education and Training Authorities
(SETAs), Local Municipalities and District municipalities,
Chiefs and Non Governmental Organisations in various
communities; Provincial and National governments and private
companies. The youth employment initiatives included
learnerships, apprenticeships, internships and skills programmes
programmes. These programmes were transferred to the Department
of Higher Education and Training as from 01 November 2009. The
interventions were funded by SETAs Levy grant and the National
Skills Fund.
⢠The Department also assisted young people to access employment
and to start own businesses through its Umsobomvu Youth Fund
(UYF) Public Entity. The programmes ranged from careers
information, life skills development, start up capital loan
scheme, New Venture Creation business mentorship etc. These
programmes were provided through UYF Centres, municipality
offices, Non Governmental organisations and other accredited
centres. These youth services were funded through the
Departmentâs National Treasury Allocation and were transferred
to the National Youth Development Agency as from June 2009.
⢠The three areas of youth interventions were also integrated into
the following national government joint programmes:
- Department of Public Worksâ Expanded Public Works programme
(EPWP).
- The then Department of Provincial Local Governmentâs
Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programmes
(ISRDP).
- Promoting local employment and working with the Department
of Home Affairs to ensure that work permits and corporate
permits are only issued to foreign workers in those areas
wherein we do not have skills.