FOR every generation that left an indelible mark in history, there were people who cared enough about a cause and made it their mission to be part of the change they wished to see.
High levels of youth unemployment, poor access to education, shortage of skills and a society heavily dependent upon government are nothing to celebrate and be proud of as a nation.
Movements in African states such as Egypt that saw young people pioneer change in their country might set a trend for all young people, the world over, to rally against what they believe is a system that does not serve their best interests.
Unemployment in South Africa affects the youth worse than other groups.
Civil action in the country in recent times is symbolic of a nation that is growing uncomfortable and disgruntled by unfavourable socio-economic conditions.
People from all levels of society must stand up.
The Department of Economic Development in partnership with Gauteng Enterprise Propeller are leading the pack to changing the socioeconomic status of young people through the Y-AGE; a youth and graduate entrepreneurship development programme.
With the apt slogan k'yasheshwa la, Gauteng is South Africa's economic hub and city of immeasurable opportunity.
The struggle for Gauteng- based youth and job seekers is that competition is coming from all directions.
With urbanisation comes positive as well as more adverse changes.
An increase in criminal activity, spread of disease, human settlement challenges are among the more adverse effects of urbanisation and over population in informal settlements.
The favourable effects are what we need to focus on and strive to create better economic conditions for all.
As greater opportunities for business arise, a diverse workforce becomes available and more people participate in the economy.
In an ideal world, this is what all urbanised cities would experience, but in reality, more needs to be done to create an environment for all to thrive in Gauteng.
The Y-AGE programme, when in full operation, will be the leader in the process of turning around the socioeconomic status of young South Africans and reverse unemployment.
The current environment for job seekers in South Africa is such that even graduates struggle to find work.
Employers want skilled people to match the ever changing and demanding landscape of industry.
Candidates need to be technologically savvy, have an above average grasp of hard and soft skills.
This of course is not the case. For varying reasons, young people struggle to meet these requirements.
Education is another large problem in the country. Not enough young people have access to education that allows them to seek and qualify for jobs that require advanced and high level skills.
There are those who have chosen to go about it their own way and start their own enterprises.
This kind of innovation is what the country needs.
However, not enough of these have shown the ability to be able to grow to levels where they can be formidable players in industry and in the process employ other people.
Insufficient funding, lack of training and little access to resources and insufficient understanding of entrepreneurial requirements are some of the reasons for the vacuum in the entrepreneurial space.
It is within this space that Y-AGE seeks to make the biggest difference.
About 100000 entrepreneurs from Gauteng will be given the opportunity to access the skills, resources and the training needed to build and develop sustainable businesses.
Each of the selected entrepreneurs should be able to hire three to five employees.
Mentorship, training workshops and seminars will be used to achieve the aims of the programme.
The goal is to create a million jobs by 2012.
- Mahlangu is Gauteng MEC for economic development
On the Web: y-age.co.za
A stepping stone to economic freedom for Gauteng youths
FOR every generation that left an indelible mark in history, there were people who cared enough about a cause and made it their mission to be part of the change they wished to see.
High levels of youth unemployment, poor access to education, shortage of skills and a society heavily dependent upon government are nothing to celebrate and be proud of as a nation.
Movements in African states such as Egypt that saw young people pioneer change in their country might set a trend for all young people, the world over, to rally against what they believe is a system that does not serve their best interests.
Unemployment in South Africa affects the youth worse than other groups.
Civil action in the country in recent times is symbolic of a nation that is growing uncomfortable and disgruntled by unfavourable socio-economic conditions.
People from all levels of society must stand up.
The Department of Economic Development in partnership with Gauteng Enterprise Propeller are leading the pack to changing the socioeconomic status of young people through the Y-AGE; a youth and graduate entrepreneurship development programme.
With the apt slogan k'yasheshwa la, Gauteng is South Africa's economic hub and city of immeasurable opportunity.
The struggle for Gauteng- based youth and job seekers is that competition is coming from all directions.
With urbanisation comes positive as well as more adverse changes.
An increase in criminal activity, spread of disease, human settlement challenges are among the more adverse effects of urbanisation and over population in informal settlements.
The favourable effects are what we need to focus on and strive to create better economic conditions for all.
As greater opportunities for business arise, a diverse workforce becomes available and more people participate in the economy.
In an ideal world, this is what all urbanised cities would experience, but in reality, more needs to be done to create an environment for all to thrive in Gauteng.
The Y-AGE programme, when in full operation, will be the leader in the process of turning around the socioeconomic status of young South Africans and reverse unemployment.
The current environment for job seekers in South Africa is such that even graduates struggle to find work.
Employers want skilled people to match the ever changing and demanding landscape of industry.
Candidates need to be technologically savvy, have an above average grasp of hard and soft skills.
This of course is not the case. For varying reasons, young people struggle to meet these requirements.
Education is another large problem in the country. Not enough young people have access to education that allows them to seek and qualify for jobs that require advanced and high level skills.
There are those who have chosen to go about it their own way and start their own enterprises.
This kind of innovation is what the country needs.
However, not enough of these have shown the ability to be able to grow to levels where they can be formidable players in industry and in the process employ other people.
Insufficient funding, lack of training and little access to resources and insufficient understanding of entrepreneurial requirements are some of the reasons for the vacuum in the entrepreneurial space.
It is within this space that Y-AGE seeks to make the biggest difference.
About 100000 entrepreneurs from Gauteng will be given the opportunity to access the skills, resources and the training needed to build and develop sustainable businesses.
Each of the selected entrepreneurs should be able to hire three to five employees.
Mentorship, training workshops and seminars will be used to achieve the aims of the programme.
The goal is to create a million jobs by 2012.
On the Web: y-age.co.za
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