DRDLR transforming youth into employment creators
The 45 youth will embark on such training as life skills and skills development as part of the National Rural Youth Service Corps programme
IN a bid to break the social grant dependency cycle, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) has initiated a programme to transform rural youth from job seekers into job creators.
King Cetshwayo District Mayor Nonhle Mkhulisi on Friday held a function to bid farewell to 45 of the district’s youth who were chosen to embark on this programme.
The National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) skills development programme seeks to train youth in a variety of areas, including character development (discipline, rights awareness, patriotism), skills development (construction, agriculture, disaster management) and soft skills (mentorship, basic budgeting, project management).
‘Through education the youth can be freed from the bondage of ignorance, poverty, crime and unemployment,’ said Mkhulisi.
‘This is why I am so pleased the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform selected our district as one of the recipients of the NARYSEC skills development programme.’
The youngsters will embark on this two-year programme, after which they will be expected to put their newly acquired skills into practice in the form of community service.
Mayor Mkhulisi went on to mention the other educational initiatives in which King Cetshwayo District Municipality has been involved.
PHOTOS: Tamlyn Jolly
In conjunction with the South African Council for Graduates Co-operative, 50 TVET college graduates will be placed in government departments for workplace training and receive a stipend.
In another project, together with Transnet Group Chief of Operations, Mlamuli Buthelezi, the district arranged a Valentine’s Day handover in the Ntambanana and KwaMthethwa communities.
As part of Transnet’s commitment to empower those communities in which it operates, the company donated 260 pairs of school shoes and bags for orphaned children, two multipurpose sports centres at Obizo and Mzingazi primary schools, 28 mobile libraries stocked with 7 000 books for five KwaMthethwa primary schools, and 1 810 books for donation to five KwaMthethwa high schools.
‘The moral duty that we have as leaders in government cannot be taken lightly because our people depend on us to enhance their living conditions. We will transform this district, and the wheels have been set in motion,’ said Mkhulisi.
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