Entrepreneurship for local youth is promoted
This as a group of young boys and girls from local high schools engaged in entrepreneurship as a viable way of job creation and a building block to a thriving economy.
Promoting entrepreneurship and economic empowerment opportunities in business for young people came under the spotlight at the Youth Entrepreneurs Expo in Meadowlands last week.
This as a group of young boys and girls from local high schools engaged in entrepreneurship as a viable way of job creation and a building block to a thriving economy.
The expo was hosted by the Ikitsi Youth Rejuvenation and Re-Branding Association (IYRRA) under the Theme “Youth Empowerment: Shaping the Future of Our Economy.”
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It showcased business and entrepreneurship know-how to Grade 11 learners from Kelokitso High School and Kwa Mahlobo Secondary School with the aim to inculcate the culture of entrepreneurship among the youth and highlight the importance of entrepreneurship education from a young age.
The extensive programme focused on understanding the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, running a start-up business as a young person, funding opportunities and changing the economy.
Lawrence Tembe, deputy chair at (IYRRA) said the expo will highlight the importance of including entrepreneurship in the educational curriculum and foster a supportive environment for young entrepreneurs.
“Our programme was tailored for the Grade 11s because we want to give them a sense of direction when it comes to career guidance.
“The essence is to get learners to move away from getting into oversaturated programmes which are not creating jobs.
“As learners who are going into matric next year and some who will also go into tertiary institutions, we want them to be exposed to other paths that they can consider as alternative routes.”
The event featured several businesses run and owned by young people, National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and Department of Labour who urged young people to consider entrepreneurship as a viable career path.
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“I can tell you there are going to be many faces which we will see next year in Grade 12 with business plans and innovative ideas on how to solve something.
And coming to these institutions which we had today to fund their businesses or learnerships to better themselves and change the family and community dynamics,” Tembe continued.
Apparel brand, Disturbed Youth owners, Siphesihle Zwane and Siphesihle Manqane addressed learners and showcased their clothing at the expo.
They said while young people should look at starting their businesses, many small businesses still face red tape to securing funding opportunities, lack of resources and thriving in saturated markets among other things.
They said better support was needed to assist many start-ups get off the ground and achieve sustainable growth.
“As a small brand, it is not easy especially when we are starting out.
“That is what we wanted to tell them because young people have ideas but fear and a lot of challenges in running a business can be the difference of whether you make it or not.
“Funding is still a big problem which means not being able to acquire enough stock or even at times orders are not met as quickly because we don’t have stock piled up.
“Those are the challenges they are likely to encounter and it is time we begin looking at a different approach to helping small businesses,” the duo said.
