Minister encourages youth to study
Hannes Visser
A project to equip young people with practical as well as life skills came full circle in Oudtshoorn when 344 students received their certificates at the National Rural
Youth Services Corps (Narysec) graduation ceremony on Friday 10 August.
Narysec was established in 2010 to equip unemployed rural youth with appropriate skills to enable them to gain or create employment and the first programme was launched outside Oudtshoorn in Dysselsdorp in May 2011.
The National Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, visited Oudtshoorn to officiate at the ceremony.
Since 2011, 3 210 youth from all over the Western Cape have completed skills training and received certificates. Courses that are available and presented by TVET colleges include plant and animal production, building, welding, general security, engineering fabrication and engineering studies. The 344 students who received their certificates on Friday were enrolled for various courses in 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016. South Cape College provided training courses in building and civil construction to 78 of the students. There are currently 550 youth from all over the province enrolled in the programme who will receive certificates once they have completed their courses.
In her address, Nkoana-Mashabane said that the government views young people as "a resource rather than a problem" and as "active participants instead of passive recipients of support". She also said that the youth of today are agents of change and not victims of the system.
With reference to the importance of women in society, she said, "It is worth noting that there are 186 females and 158 males whose achievement we are celebrating today. These figures demonstrate that ... the rural young women the department has invested in form a bigger segment [55%] of those that are graduating today." She congratulated the students and thanked stakeholders such as the colleges and institutions who offer employment to the youth, for joining hands in the project. "To our stakeholders, thank you very much and continue to walk this journey with us. The strength lies in holding hands." Nkoana-Mashabane said that the government views young people as “a resource rather than a problem” and as “active participants instead of passive recipients of support”.