Ramaphosa outlines plans for youth employment

WORK experience for entry-level positions at state institutions will no longer be a requirement.

This was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

‘Our young people need to be given a head-start in the world of work. They should not face barriers and hindrances as they seek employment,’ Ramaphosa said.

He said the Youth Employment Service will place unemployed youth in paid internships in companies across the economy.

‘We call on all companies, both big and small, to participate in this initiative and thereby contribute not only to building their business, but also to building the economy and fostering social cohesion.’

Ramaphosa said progress being made in installation, repair and maintenance sectors, digital and tech jobs such coding and data analytics as well as global business services, will enable more youth to be absorbed.

He added that the levels of growth needed to make significant gains in job creation will not be possible without massive new investments.

‘The inaugural South Africa Investment Conference in October last year provided great impetus to our drive to mobilise R1.2-trillion in investment over five years.

‘The investment conference attracted around R300-billion in investment pledges from South African and international companies.

‘There was also a significant increase in direct foreign investment last year.

‘In 2017, we recorded an inflow of foreign investment amounting to R17-billion. Official data shows that just in the first three quarters of 2018, there was an inflow of R70-billion,’ the President said.