Tshepo one million restoring hope to unemployed Gauteng youth
Gauteng Premier David Makhura accompanied by the provincial executive council (MECs) and private sector partners relaunched the Tshepo One Million programme at the Nasrec Expo Centre.
Tshepo One Million is an expansion of the Tshepo 500 000 initiative by the provincial government which was unveiled in 2014 to provide 500 000 unemployed youth opportunities through skills training, job placement and entrepreneurship development.
Due to the success of the flagship programme and the magnitude of the problem of youth unemployment in the province, the provincial government decided to upscale its efforts from empowering 500 000 youth to one million young people by 2019.
“The youth are the most vulnerable people in society. They are used, exploited, and they are at the bleeding edge of toxic trifecta of high unemployment, persistent poverty and growing inequality. They can be enlisted for negative social causes because they are readily available”, said Premier Makhura.
The relaunch was also attended by representatives from some of the major international and local companies that have committed to work with the provincial government in empowering young people which include Microsoft SA, Coca Cola, Hollard, Gijima, Shanduka Black Umbrellas, COFESA, ABSA, Broll, CCBSA, Nestle, Unilever, SABMiller/ Abinbev, GE, Cisco, Standard Bank, FNB/ First Rand, Arcelor-Mittal, Barloworld, MasterCard, Media 24, BPESA and SIEFSA.
“Tshepo is not just about hope for the youth, it’s about hope for us all, for government, private sector and civil society. The private sector’s response has been amazing,” said Premier Makhura.
Below are some of the commitments that were made by the partners in attendance:
- Microsoft SA will provide one million young people with training opportunities in digital skills. This partnership commits to a mass-scale deployment of the Microsoft Digital Literacy and Virtual Academy Platform.
- Coca-Cola committed to pipeline of young job seekers into internships, learnerships, enterprise/supplier development and jobs across ABI value chain
- Shanduka Black Umbrellas is a lead implementing/coordinating project partner with in the evolution and rollout of the Township Marketplace Platform and wider Tshepo one Million Township Economy, township businesses will be assisted by partnership on condition they provide opportunities for young interns/employees.
- GIJIMA committed skills and opportunities in ICT value chain, especially data analytics, rolling out a skilled pipeline of young jobseekers, sourced from Tshepo 1 Million, supporting a green building retrofit initiative trade financed against carbon credits or other suitable financing options, targeting properties under ownership and management by provincial government and participating private sector property management entities.
- Hollard committed to township panel beating shops serving Hollard drivable repairs, providing links to township marketplace platform, pilot of a specific Hollard insurance product using the network of new panel beaters, to be sold by youth.
- Barloworld will partner with the township panel beater network pilot (OEM accreditation), create opportunities for young job seekers across the Barloworld value chain as interns and SED contracts (including technicians), and render support to township firms in mining and construction through concession-priced equipment.
- One thousand SMMEs identified through the township marketplace platform supported through FNB accelerator hosting interns/creating employment opportunities as condition of ongoing support, agency opportunity for youth linked to instant financial solutions/value adds.
- Standard Bank committed internships, job opportunities and supplier opportunities with standard bank, they will also offer asset finance as support to township marketplace platforms, on condition firms create opportunity for youth, and they will also link skills and enterprise development programmes.
- Media 24 committed to an online training programme in writing skills and computer-aided research linked to Tshepo One Million learning lab, develop special internship programme targeting youth without matric qualifications
- Power FM has also committed to give Tshepo One Million free advertising airtime worth one million rand.
The relaunch takes place on the eve of the national Youth Day. Gauteng province will commemorate Youth Day in Soweto. A wreath laying ceremony at Hector Peterson’s memorial is among the activities planned for the day.
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