Unemployed youth given a chance
The programme provided the unemployed youth with forms to fill in which will bring them a step closer to employment.
Access to an internet connection has made it easy for many job hunters, but the lives of those who can’t afford the cost of data and live on a shoe-string budget have become even more difficult than before.
This is why David Mangena, the founder of the Zandspruit Youth Development Forum, started an organisation to host career guidance expos in order to improve chances of employment in the impoverished informal settlement which is infamous for its high violence and crime levels.
On 25 May, Mangena held a successful career day at a local church, where he encouraged learners to utilise the platforms made available for them to register for employment.
Explaining what the day was about, he said, “The career day is all about giving young people direction by guiding them on which career to choose.”
Mangena invited Tsepho 1 million, a youth skills empowerment initiative by the Gauteng Provincial Government, which seeks to break down the barriers that young people encounter when looking for work opportunities, to participate in the career day.
“Since we live in an area where there is no Wifi, we decided to call on the entity [Tsepho 1 Million] to come and register the youth so that they can have access to the available opportunities too,” Mangena explained.
The programme provided the unemployed youth with forms to fill in, which will bring them a step closer to employment.
The programme will provide them with entrepreneurial skills, job placement and learnership opportunities, according to Mangena.
While banners were wooing the youth to the expo centre, a large number of young people clearly could not have cared less as they roamed around the streets. Mangena was not surprised by the behaviour, alluding to the fact that most of the youth have not just given up on finding jobs, but also on life itself. “As you see, young people are just roaming around, with the majority of them having given up on life because there is no development taking place and no job opportunities in Zandspruit. We have no recreational centre or even a hall,” he disappointedly said.
However, Mangena was quite optimistic that the career expo will bridge the gap of unemployment. He boasted that the programme has helped over 500 local dwellers to get employment since 2013.
To learn more about the organisation, email mangenatd@gmail.com or contact David Mangena on 072 035 2317.
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