Much-needed training to empower youth

MGOBODZI – Young people in Mpumalanga are set to benefit from a R70-million budget for skills development through the Youth Brigade Programme. The programme, which was launched by the MEC for human settlements, Ms Violet Siwela at Mgobodi this past Wednesday, has enrolled 200 youth participants in theory and practical skills to ultimately introduce them to the mainstream economy. Human settlements is delivering the programme in partnership with the National Youth Development Agency (Nyda) and the National Home Builder’s Registration Council (NHBRC). The Dr JS Moroka, Chief Albert Luthuli, Nkomazi and Bushbuckridge municipalities have each contributed 50 students toward this initiative. The programme seeks to train young people and link them to access opportunities in the construction environment on a large scale through annual intakes. One of the participants, 30-year-old Ms Hlelisile Nkosi, heaved a sigh of relief at the launch of the programme. “It is very frustrating to be unemployed when you have a family to feed and this programme couldn’t have come at a better time for us unemployed youth. It will not only assist us financially, but we are going to be empowered with construction skills so that after the programme we can be able work on our own,” said Nkosi.”According to recent statistics, Mpumalanga has an unemployment rate of about 28 per cent, mainly affecting the youth. The report further states that about 38 per cent of youths are unemployed. This figure is higher than the average provincial unemployment rate. The vision of the Youth Brigade is to create a capable, strong and flexible category of well-trained human-settlements volunteers who support government to accelerate housing delivery. As the roll-out of the programme continues, further recruitment will take place to ensure that it gains momentum to have significant footprints throughout the province. By this we really need dedicated youths who want to improve their welfare, however, notwithstanding better opportunities that may avail themselves to the youth,” said Siwela. “Our intervention should be a dedicated focus on partnerships between government and business and delivery projects which are less dependent on energy, such as alternative building technology and manufacturing, among others,” she concluded.
The department plans to ensure that the youth’s skills are developed and nurtured through the programme. The acquired skills will enable them to either pursue their trade in existing construction companies or establish their own. The programme will be extended to other municipalities in the following years.