The Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development is making a huge dent on the challenge of unemployment. Today, 17 March 2011, the department welcomed 440 unemployed graduates with qualifications in Agriculture into its main stream employment. This is part of a recruitment drive which started last year to employ unemployed graduates to work as Agricultural Extension Officers.
The recruitment is aimed at augmenting the existing extension personnel in order to adequately respond to the mandate of ensuring food security within the province. The intention is to have two extension officers per ward to advise subsistence local farmers on animal and crop production.
The Extension Assistants will work in their respective communities and will be mentored by senior extension officers. This will enhance the implementation of Food Security Programmes like the One Home One Garden campaign Livestock improvement programme and other massification projects.
They will further be exposed to a skills upgrading programme where the department will facilitate that they complete their National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level seven training which qualifies them for a degree. The department’s Cedara Agricultural Training Institution has aligned itself with other institutions such as Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, University of Fort Hare in order to offer our diplomats the opportunity to turn their diploma into a degree so as to realise their full potential within the job market. The department has close to 200 and 31 extension officers who are currently undergoing training at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the University of Fort Hare respectively.
MEC Johnson welcomed and addressed the newly recruited assistant extension officers at the Department’s headquarters in Cedara. “It is however so heartening to welcome young people into the employ of the Department again. I always say that young people are the future and in IsiZulu we say “Inkunzi isematholeni”. I am therefore very pleased to see so many young faces here at Cedara today. Not only are we getting new blood but we are also welcoming young professionals with expertise knowledge in Agriculture, particularly in crop and animal production” said Johnson.
The department is targeting to recruit 800 unemployed graduates for the 2011/12 financial year. The assistant extension officers will assume their duties with effect from 1 April 2011.
Enquiries:
Ncumisa Mafunda
Tel: 033 3438063
Cell: 0795157187
