How to . . . Solve youth unemployment

THE future for the youth appears terribly bleak at present as youth unemployment continues to rise. Adcorp recently said that 306 000 matriculants would be joining the ranks of the unemployed next year because they would not be studying further.

Yashivan Govender, director of operations at FirstStep.me, said the solution “rests on the shoulders of the youth themselves in starting their own businesses”. He had this advice for young people:

There are many advantages to starting a company while you are still young. You have “a time buffer” because of your age and the opportunity to make mistakes and start again. It also is the period in your life when you have less to lose;

Do not become stuck by thinking there is a perfect time to start your business. What you need to do is spend time producing a well-researched business plan. Also make sure you get the appropriate legal and financial support and advice about setting up and operating a business;

No matter what you are doing, you will need to secure finance. There are various ways to do this — from loans and funds to savings. However, some of the greatest success stories are the result of beginning with little and then creating something big through the basic concept of sales. So start small and have a bigger idea in mind;

Live the business, be the business and own the business. Once you have set yourself up, keeping it going is about working hard and making sure it has a pulse; and

If enough young people build small businesses that eventually create employment, we could have a real solution to youth unemployment. Creating an interest among the youth in the business sector will create employment opportunities. — Margaret Harris