Chamber launches skills programme
Aims to train students and unemployed youth for current and future jobs
THE Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business (PCB) has launched a proactive skills training centre that local businesses are supporting in a bid to address the skills gap and stem the tide of unemployment in the province.
South Africa’s current unemployment rate is 27.6%, but as PCB chief executive Melanie Veness said: “If one looks at the expanded definition of unemployment, and takes into account those who have become discouraged and have stopped actively seeking employment, our unemployment levels are around 36.3%. What is even more shocking is that youth make up a staggering 63.4% of this unemployment figure in South Africa.”
In a bid to address the massive unemployment, and the mismatch between the skills that companies need and what the education system produces, the chamber has set up the PCB Centre of Learning and Innovation in Alan Paton Drive in Pietermaritzburg.
The goal is to train and skill students and unemployed youth for current and future jobs, and the first project involves the training of 20 aspirant artisans in bricklaying, plastering, plumbing and tiling.
The project is being funded by the private sector, in this case, Willowton-based Preformed Line Products SA, whose chief executive, John Buyers, is passionate about education and skills development.
Once they’ve been trained, the PCB will support the learners by providing them with the basic tools and equipment they need to perform their trades and a basic portfolio to guide development. It will also facilitate opportunities to gain experience, provide entrepreneurial training and support, admit the new entrepreneurs as members of the PCB and facilitate access to market.
“There is clearly a mismatch between what companies need and what the education system is producing because it is estimated that the country faces a backlog of between 40 000 and 50 000 artisans,” Veness said. “Technical training is enormously important to South Africa’s growth, and quality artisans can bring huge value to businesses and to the country as a whole.”
The project has been met with so much enthusiasm that funding for the skilling of the next 20 young people is already under way. If anyone is interested in funding students, email Veness at ceo@pcb.org.za