Career Development
Shifting from skills development to
career development is key to addressing youth unemployment By Tshepo Mokoena, Chairman of In2IT Technologies
Youth unemployment is rampant in South Africa, which means that our country’s up and coming workforce is not part of the job market. This is hugely problematic. While economic challenges undoubtedly play a role here, the reality is that corporate South Africa and government need to take on a more effective and active role in addressing the challenge. While learnerships and skills development are important, these are often done merely as a tick box exercise, and they do not result in long-term employment opportunities. There needs to be a shift in focus from skills development to career development to ensure future employment and the economic sustainability of South Africa as a whole.
Going nowhere slowly
Stats SA puts current unemployment rates at 63.3% for persons
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Skills Development
between the ages of 15-24 and 41.3% for persons between the ages of 25-34. This is a massive chunk of the population who should be actively contributing to economic growth. This population segment has also become increasingly disengaged: according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for Q4 2021, “young people have been discouraged with the labour market and they are also not building on their skills base through education and training – they are not in employment, education or training (NEET).”
www.futuresa.co.za
