48 youths given opportunity and saved from the clutches of joblessness
This year's theme for national Youth Month 2022 - The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke : Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society.
However, when one considers that the burden of unemployment is mostly concentrated among our youth population (63,9% for the first quarter of 2022, according to the SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey) it is evident that we remain faced with a crippling epidemic catalysed by a lack of access to employment and education.
Participation in employment, education and training is important for our youth to achieve self-sufficiency, however the lack of education and job relevant skills are leaving our youth discouraged.
For 48 youths, aged between 19 and 29, from across the Eastern Cape this is no longer the case.
In order to help close skills gaps in the area, AKM Foods, owners of the KFC franchise in the Eastern Cape, embarked on a year-long journey of employing, upskilling and empowering various youth from Gqeberha, Queenstown, East London, Kariega, Jeffery's Bay, Komani, Makanda and Despatch by increasing access to on-the-job training.
In addition to developing learners' skill-set while working for the organization, the 12-month management programme also focused on developing learners' leadership competencies. What this means for the leaners is that not only did they gain practical hands-on experience, but earned an accredited General Management NQF 3 qualification, facilitated by iLearn, while doing so.
"We are so proud to be part of this amazing initiative", says Richard Rayne, CEO of iLearn.
During the month of June we celebrated the contributions of many brave young people towards a better South Africa. It was also a time to reflect on how we can empower our leaders of tomorrow in an increasingly uncertain world. We hope to see more organizations invest in skills development programmes and empowerment initiatives to support our young people and positively contribute to fostering economic growth in SA.
We congratulate all our learners and wish them well in their future endeavors!
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