Mashatile at the launch of the partnership between Ifihlile Training Academy,
Gauteng Department of Economic Development and the Gauteng Youth
Commission
24 April 2007
Programme Director,
The Head of Department of Economic Development Mr Sibusiso Xaba,
The Chairperson of Gauteng Youth Commission Mr Lebogang Maile,
The CEO of Gauteng Youth Commission Ms Masabata Mutlaneng,
The Managing Director Ifihlile Group of Companies Mr Mpho Mashiane
The CEO of Merseta Dr Patel,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
In three days from today, on 27 April 2007, our country will celebrate
national Freedom Day. The celebration of national Freedom Day gives us an
opportunity to pause and reflect on the past, to remember the heroes and
heroines who brought us our freedom and to honour those whose sacrifices made
it possible for us to enjoy the benefits of democracy.
As we celebrate this important day in the history of our country we will be
renewing our pledge and reinforcing the national partnership to build a better
life for all. Part of what we need to do to build a better life for all, is to
ensure that the youth of our country also enjoy the benefits of democracy. The
economic empowerment of young people needs to be at the centre of our approach
ensuring that the benefits of democracy reach our youth.
This requires of us to make focused interventions that integrate young
people into the economic mainstream through programmes that increase their
income, asset and skills levels. We also have a responsibility to increase
substantially the number of young people that manage, own and control
productive enterprises, including co-operatives. Furthermore we must form
partnerships with the private sector to build the capacity of the youth,
especially those that are most disadvantaged in the townships, informal
settlements and rural areas, to be able fully to seize the opportunities for
economic empowerment created by our democracy.
Programme Director, it is against this background that as the Department of
Economic Development, we saw it fit to partner with the Gauteng Youth
Commission and Ifihlile Training Academy to facilitate the training of young
people in the air-conditioning, refrigeration and ventilation industry. Our
assessment is that this industry is likely to benefit from the current
construction boom in Gauteng, positioning it as one of the critical industries
that can drive economic growth and job creation.
The partnership we are launching today, therefore, offers the young people
of our province an opportunity to participate meaningfully in one of the
critical industries within the provincial economy. In many ways this
partnership will propel our young people into the mainstream of the provincial
economy. I am told that there is a serous shortage of adequately skilled
personnel in the air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration industry. The
participation of individuals from historically disadvantaged communities is
also minimal. We have no doubt that this partnership will go a long way in
addressing these imbalances.
Also of significance is that through this partnership we are offering young
people an opportunity to acquire a rare skill - something which enhances their
employability. As we have said before, one of the most pressing challenges
facing the Gauteng city region is the development of necessary skills to drive
economic growth and to enhance our global competitiveness.
We have a responsibility to develop the skills that match the needs of our
economy. This is critical to our ongoing endeavour to ensure that our people
have access to quality jobs and to accelerate the shared growth of the
provincial economy. We view this partnership as a direct response to the
challenge of skills shortage facing the provincial economy. It is a partnership
that will contribute to our ongoing efforts to position Gauteng as a globally
competitive city region and a preferred destination for investment.
This is because an adequately skilled workforce is the backbone on which
every successful and globally competitive economy relies. In addition,
international investment trends tend to favour those locations where a
significant number of the population has skills that match the needs of the
economy. In order to deal comprehensively with the challenge of skills shortage
in the provincial economy, we last year launched the provincial Human Resource
Development Strategy. When we launched this strategy we said that the private
sector is a crucial partner in ensuring the successful implementation of this
strategy.
We therefore view the involvement of Ifihlile in this partnership as
critical not only to the success of the partnership but also as a contribution
to the successful implementation of our Human Resource Development Strategy.
Forming strategic partnerships with the private sector remains an important
aspect of our efforts to maximise the impact of our collective interventions.
We wish to take this opportunity to urge the private sector to join hands with
government to address our common challenges.
We also note with appreciation the fact that the training that Ifihlile will
be providing will also equip young people with entrepreneurial skills that will
allow them to run successful businesses in the air conditioning, refrigeration
and ventilation industry. To us this is an important aspect of the training
programme as it will contribute to the creation of young and successful
entrepreneurs in this industry. It is these young entrepreneurs that will
create employment opportunities for other young people and transfer skills to
them. And it is these young entrepreneurs that will join the rank of pioneers
of youth economic empowerment in our province.
Through our small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME) development agency,
the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, we will explore ways of assisting these young
entrepreneurs to mange and own successful and sustainable businesses. We also
encourage these entrepreneurs to take advantage of the procurement
opportunities available within the provincial government.
In conclusion, let me take this opportunity once more to congratulate,
Lerato Moshweu, on being the first woman in our country to qualify as an
artisan in the air conditioning, refrigeration and ventilation industry. She is
no doubt an inspiration to many young women in our country and we wish here
well in her endeavours. May the partnership between ourselves, Ifihlile and the
Gauteng Youth Commission grow from strength to strength and may many more young
people benefit from it.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Finance and Economic Affairs, Gauteng Provincial
Government
24 April 2007
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za)
