Speech delivered by the Honourable Minister Senzeni Zokwana of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at the Youth Outreach Programme, Groblersdal
Programme Director,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dumelang, Lotshani, Goeie more, Good morning.
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) conceptualised Youth Support Programmes as early as 2004. The programmes were conceptualised as a way of supporting and promoting the National Skills Development Strategy purpose which seeks to encourage and support the integration of workplace training with theoretical learning and to facilitate the journey individuals make from school, college or university or even from periods of unemployment to sustained employment and in work progression.
In responding to government call of bridging the skills gap, promoting rural development, skills acquisition and elimination of skewed participation, the department has taken the effort to promote and implement the following Youth Supported Programmes:
The External Bursary Scheme: This scheme provides financial support to young people from previously disadvantaged and poverty stricken background who intend furthering their studies in critical and scarce skills in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
Annually deserving young people with good results are recruited through various advertisement modes to be worthy recipients of the bursary assistance. The bursary covers tuition, accommodation, books, meals and monthly allowances.
Over the years, DAFF has used its External Bursary Scheme to fund deserving young people to follow the following careers identified as scarce and critical:
- Agricultural Economics, Bio-Resource Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Veterinary Science, Viticulture and Oenology, Agronomy, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Soil Science and Grassland/Pasture Science, Genetics, Microbiology, and so on in the Agricultural Sector.
- Forestry and Wood Science in the Forestry Sector.
- Oceanography, Marine Biology, Ichthyology and Aquaculture in the Fisheries Sector.
Since the inception of the scheme in 2004, a total of 1 002 young people have benefitted to study various study fields. The major success indicator of the programme is the number of participants who secure employment or establish their own businesses after completion of studies. Some of the success stories of which DAFF is proud from the external bursary scheme are the following:
- On Agricultural Engineering: (1) Maseroke Consulting Engineers based in Limpopo which provides agricultural engineering services, civil engineering services as well as socio-economic services; (2) Kwenamole Consulting Company which is also based in Limpopo and focuses on environmental consulting.
- On Veterinary Science: There is Teva Veterinary Clinic in Somerset West which focuses on routine surgery, health checks, radiographs, ultrasound, and so on.
- On Viticulture and Oenology: (1) There is a business called Ziyanda Wine Company in Johannesburg that specialises in wine making and has recently ventured into development of new range of premium coffees in SA and internationally.
- Diploma in Agriculture: (1) There is also Ngcobo Training Company that is driven by a diploma in agriculture graduate and deals with training in land reform projects in KwaZulu-Natal.
- On Food Technology: the beneficiary is a South African celebrity chef known for hosting the food network show Siba’s Table.
One of the critical skills that we are currently in need of as a country is veterinary science for aquatic animals or fish doctors if I may put it that way. Some of you may have heard of Operation Phakisa, which is more geared towards accelerating development of our country’s ocean economy. One of the key areas for development within Operation Phakisa is aquaculture.
Clearly, we will need to accelerate the production of aquatic animal veterinary scientists if we are to succeed in our objective of expanding aquaculture production in this country. This is an area that young people like most of you can explore for personal development and contributing to economic growth and development.
For the 2016 academic year, DAFF has advertised its bursary opportunities and the closing date is 30 September 2015 and the advert and application forms will be available at the DAFF’s career exhibition stall.
The Experiential Training, Internship and Professional Development Programme consists of the following pillars:
- Conventional: it targets qualified unemployed graduates who need practical hands-on experience to enhance their chances of employability and students who require practical experience as a requirement for obtaining their qualifications.
- Entrepreneurship Development Programme: this targets youth already involved in business or qualified unemployed graduates with an entrepreneurial urge and vision to follow a career in business and are placed in various companies/agribusinesses to acquire requisite knowledge and expertise in the area of business.
- Young Professional Development Programme: it targets young graduates in possession of requisite Bachelor’s degree or postgraduate
qualification in agriculture, forestry, fisheries or Natural Science who would like to further their studies at Honours, Masters and PhD level in the area of research leading to innovation in the critical scarce skills in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. - Agri-Export Technologists Programme: this is an incubator programme targeting young people with the urge and vision to become Agri-Export Technologists in the export industry. Successful applicants are placed within the regions of the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) for practical hands-on experience while registered for National Certificate: Perishable Produce Export.
The total number of young people who benefited since the inception of the programme in 2004 under various pillars is 2 274. As per pillars of the programme, 1 568 were Conventional interns, 217 participated on Young Professional Development Programme, 238 participated in Agri-Export Technologist Programme and 226 participated in Entrepreneurial Management Development Programme with success stories of 13 youth owning their businesses.
Of this total, 631 successfully secured employment and are contributing to the economy of the country in Government, State Owned Entities and the private sector. DAFF appointed 220, other government departments appointed 152 while 259 were appointed by the private sector.
The 2016/17 internship opportunities will be advertised during August 2015.
The DAFF Career Awareness Programme is a structured programme that focuses on the promotion of agriculture, forestry and fisheries as careers and livelihoods of choice. The programme is further used as a vehicle to eliminate the negative perception of the school going youth towards agriculture and forestry and to raise the profile of fisheries, especially among the inland schools.
Through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP), youth involved in agricultural projects/farmers also received requisite training and capacity building programmes. The training offered, was in response to comprehensive skills audit conducted which highlighted skill gaps to enhance profitability and sustainability of their enterprises. For the past five years (2010/11 – 2014/15), 18 887 youth in agriculture received training through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP).
Programme Director, this is what DAFF is doing to see to it that, Youth indeed move South Africa forward. As you may have picked up from the wide range of career and business opportunities that I mentioned, there are many areas in which youth can be involved in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries environments.
Not everyone who is involved in these sectors is necessarily engaged in primary production. There are very exciting fields in the areas of scientific research and innovation, as well as business development that young people can relate to and thoroughly enjoy.
Thank you!
