South African youngsters, particularly those aged 15 to 34, are facing major obstacles and remain the most vulnerable in our labour markets.
This, together with disruptive shifts that include globalisation, demographic changes, artificial intelligence and other factors, is transforming our socioeconomic system, according to Judy Vilakazi, executive of corporate social responsibility at Telkom.
Vilakazi provided an executive overview of the theme ‘Future-ready youth: skills for jobs’ on the second day of the Trialogue Business in Society Conference 2024, South Africa’s premiere corporate social responsibility event.
However, the future of work is digital, and Telkom is making a concerted effort to address our unemployment challenge by reskilling youth with crucial digital skills. “This will ensure our youth have the knowledge to thrive in this new era. We are building a future-ready generation prepared for the jobs of tomorrow,” Vilazaki explained.
Even before the pandemic, Telkom was providing connectivity and devices to schools, but it has expanded digital educated with zero-rated learning platforms and its digital skills programme, in terms of which learners can become familiar with coding, web development, cybersecurity, and more.
“Unlocking the potential of our youth can create a brighter future for them – but no one company can solve these problems alone,” Vilakazi said, adding that the solution is to work with “like-minded partners” who can help to scale their efforts.
Rethinking skills
Nicola Galombik, executive director at Yellowwoods Holdings, delivered the themed keynote address and pointed out that the weak economy has made it difficult to create jobs. In addition, learners are not always capable of filling existing positions as they lack maths skills.
Telkom has made an effort to provide extra tuition in maths and science, which will go some way towards making a difference – but there are additional remedies, Galombik said.
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator has developed an assessment tool that allows young people to discover their capabilities beyond the classroom, including problem-solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.
“We need new skilling solutions that build on the potential of our young people, find out what they are really good at, and bridge them quickly and effectively into jobs the economy actually has, with the skills and competencies our economy actually needs,” Galombik pointed out, adding that around 20% of young people using the South African Youth Platform meet or exceed expectations in terms of cognitive capability. This is a platform that links active job seekers to job opportunities.
In addition, young people should be directed towards “sunrise sectors” of the economy experiencing huge growth, such as global business services, the green economy, and the digital sector. This provides opportunities for entrepreneurs, and a key priority is to growth informal and township economies, allowing people to sell their services to people in their communities as well as into corporate value chains.
Success stories in job creation
The panel discussion that followed Galombik’s keynote address highlighted some success stories in job creation, but also indicated there is a lot more work to be done.
The panellists were Vilakazi, Kasthuri Soni (CEO of Harambee), Nazeem Hendricks (senior finance specialist at The Jobs Fund), and Cynthia Motau (head of the TsAfrika Foundation and TsAfrika ICT Learnership Programme).
“Feedback from our stakeholders indicates that we need private companies to invest more in the future of skills,” said Vilakazi, explaining that it works closely with training providers to build a pipeline of skilled youngsters who can be absorbed into Telkom later on.
One of these skills providers, TsAfrika, has been able to place around 20% of its learners – but founder Motau said that there are always more applicants than learners placed, and more such programmes would be helpful. Additionally, these learnerships should ideally run for two years to fully upskill youth.
The Jobs Fund exists to test and develop new models that lead to job creation, and Hendricks stressed that it is not a “mass employment programme” but helps to overcome demand-side constraints to employment.
It has rolled out 163 projects in collaboration with other stakeholders – one of which is Harambee – and has helped to create 220 000 jobs and support 75 000 SMEs and emerging farmers. Importantly, 53 000 jobs have been created beyond the completion of projects, meaning they have not relied on donor funding.
“This means we have developed a sustainable model,” said Hendricks, who says true success lies in understanding “what works and what doesn’t” and being able to pass these learnings on.
Soni said Harambee has spent 13 years collaborating with partners, including The Jobs Fund, to co-create employment solutions. Soni is most proud of the SA Youth Network.
“This is a game-changer that serves nearly four million young people who get free access to aggregated earning and learning opportunities and work-seeker support,” she said. “The SA Youth Network also provides employers with access to a young talent pool ready to be matched with opportunities, not just via their CVs but via a line of sight to their problem-solving capabilities. It’s a hassle-free, cost-free way to source quality talent.”
She stressed that Harambee’s programmes keep young people productively engaged, allowing them to increase their employability and progress from one pathway to the next.
“All opportunities matter, even short-term ones, but we need pathway management to keep young people economically active for as long as possible, earning a resilient income,” she said.
