The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa today, 8 June 2013 launched the ground-breaking R300 million Groen Sebenza project. The launch formed part of Environment Month celebrations at the Pretoria Botanical Gardens.
Spearheaded by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the innovative Groen Sebenza project is aimed at developing skills and bridging the gap between education and job opportunities in the biodiversity sector.
Speaking at the launch the Minister said, “This is definitely a landmark project that Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), SANBI and our partners are proud to be pioneering and using to play a leading role in contributing towards building a pool of young, vibrant, capable and confident professionals for South Africa’s biodiversity and natural resource management sector. It is the Department of Environmental Affairs’ hope that the effective implementation of the incubator concept will have a catalytic impact on skills development and job creation.”
The CEO of SANBI, Dr Tanya Abrahamse said, “This is an exciting time for SANBI and all its participating partners. The Groen Sebenza venture effectively brings into life, the ideals of the vision of a green economy, by mobilising for and engendering the involvement of young people, in the management of biodiversity, through job creation. We are confident that this project is the right step towards addressing the skills shortages in the sector and more significantly, it will help to diversify the sector. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all partners for a shared vision, for shared value.”
The launch coincides with Environment Month, as well as Youth Month, celebrated in South Africa on 5 and 16 June respectively. The 5th June 2013 heralded World Environment Day (WED), which aims to be the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. In South Africa, this celebration is amplified as June is recognised as National Environment Month.
The launch also featured the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Zero Emission Electric Vehicle (Ev) Programme, more commonly known as DEA Green Cars. These were displayed as part of the work that the Department is doing to encourage the reduction of environmentally harmful gases, by promoting the use of cleaner sources of fuel by the automotive industry.
The theme for this year’s WED, as set by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is “Think. Eat. Save”. The Department of Environmental Affairs has adopted this theme for the 2013 Environment Month celebrations.
Groen Sebenza involves the placement of 800 unemployed youth in skilled jobs across public, private and non-governmental institutions in the local biodiversity sector for a period of two and a half years. The project focuses on training, mentoring and workplace-based learning with the objective of building a pool of young and capable professionals for South Africa’s biodiversity sector, which aims to boost job creation in the green economy.
Four hundred and sixty three (463) of the Groen Sebenza interns commenced with the programme on 2 May and the remaining participants will begin in the course of this month. A month into the project, the young participants and the 33 Groen Sebenza partner organisations say they are thrilled to participate in the initiative, which will equip them with the work experience and skills to secure permanent jobs in the biodiversity industry.
Twenty eight (28) year old Sabelo Linda from Osizweni, a semi-rural area in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, who is working at NCC Environmental Services in Cape Town, says he is ‘very grateful’ for the opportunity he has been given. Although he holds an Honours degree in Science, Sabelo was unemployed for the first few months, after completing his qualification and had to rely on the help of friends to support his siblings.
Honing his skills in the field of environmental management, he says he feels encouraged by the structured and earnest manner in which the NCC approaches the intensive learning and mentorship of the Groen Sebenza ‘incubants’.
Another participant, Sanelisiwe Mkhize, is training in nature conservation with Ezemvelo Wildlife with only a matric school certificate to her name. Sanelisiwe feels she has been given a second chance to “prove myself” and realise her ambition of following a career in nature conservation.
This comes as she followed her second choice of study, public management, at the Durban University of Technology last year, but was forced to drop out when her family experienced financial problems.
The young woman and three other participants are currently focusing on commercial offshore fishing and compliances which sees them inspecting the fish offloaded in the harbour or sold in restaurants for species and sizes.
The Groen Sebenza project is giving many young people like Sabelo and Sanelisiwe hope and purpose, as 800 graduates and matriculants have been placed with partner organisations to gain practical work experience. It is believed that training and working for two-and-a-half-years will kick-start their careers.
The R300 million project is sponsored by the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s Jobs Fund. It is spearheaded by SANBI and is a first in the local biodiversity industry.
To access a fact sheet on the Groen Sebenza Jobs Fund Project, click on the link below:
https://www.environment.gov.za/sites/default/files/docs/groensebenza_factsheet.pdf
For media queries contact:
Albi Modise: Spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Affairs
Cell: 083 490 2871
