Lifeline for youth in access to job and entrepreneurial opportunities

Tshepo 1 Million changes lives

With the country’s youth facing a higher than normal unemployment rate, the government has come up with initiatives to help them become part of the mainstream economy.

One of these initiatives includes the Tshepo 1 Million, formerly Tshepo 500,000 when it was launched four years, to upskill youth and introduce them to employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. The programme, along with the Presidential Youth Employment Service, Harambe Youth Employment Accelerator and private sector employers, has benefited 514,000 young people.

Gauteng premier David Makhura, during the delivery of his political report last week, said Harambe’s role was to prepare young people for highdemand jobs in specific sectors and employers, based on their skills and where they live.

“This work ranges from the broad-based mass digital learning system now running in township libraries to much more job-specific and taskspecific bridging programmes needed to prepare young people for what they will actually do on the job,” he said.

“We are now upscaling the programme and linking it to the opportunities in the township economy,” he said.

Economist Duma Gqubule, who has done research on Tshepo 1 Million, advised that the programme could be more effective b y providing artisan training to people who want to become plumbers and welders, among other things.

Those wanting to benefit from Tshepo 1 Million should log onto www.tshepo.mobi and a consultant will call them.

One of the beneficiaries, Themba Hlophe, said: “Tshepo 1 Million is designed to break down the barriers that young people encounter when seeking work opportunities.”

The provincial government has also rolled out broadband to more than 1,000 sites to modernise the economy in line with the 4th Industrial Revolution. The youth also benefits from the township economic revatilation programme.

Gauteng MEC for economic development Lebogang Maile said that the provincial government has spent 22% of its procurement budget buying goods and services from businesses owned by women. Many of these companies based in the townships employ young and some are owned by young people target for next year is close to 30%.

Finance MEC Barbara Creecy said township businesses and those owned by young people also received a fair share of government public procurement programme.

She said since 2014 the government has procured goods and services from black businesses to the value of R10.7bn.

tenders awarded to 570 suppliers in previous financial year