10 March 2009
Skills empowerment should under no circumstance become the casualty of the
current global economic slump that has seen mass job losses throughout the
world, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana has warned. Delivering a keynote
address at a graduation ceremony of 55 electronic journalism students at the
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) headquarters in Johannesburg
today (Tuesday), Minister Mdladlana said employers at both government and the
private sector should instead use the current global crisis to double their
skills development activities.
"Employers across the labour market spectrum should see the current global
economic slump as an opportunity to empower especially the young people with
more skills so as to prepare them for the future. Skills development cannot be
allowed to be a casualty of the current crisis," he said.
The 55 are the product of a R4 million Labour Department funded internship
programme dubbed "investing in the future of our youth" in which the department
partnered with the SABC in February 2008 and recruited interns from various
journalism faculties and universities countrywide to undergo intensive training
programme entailing among others journalism and law basics, radio scripting and
packaging, television writing and ethics.
According to SABC's Group Executive for news and current affairs, the
corporation has already absorbed 23 of the trainees in full time positions,
while a few others have been offered part-time employment for the current
election period.
Praising the SABC for having responded positively to the government's call,
Minister Mdladlana said "this illustrates the good results of working together.
Government alone cannot accomplish the task of empowering our people without
the participation of employers. If we do not work together we cannot succeed in
whatever we do."
The SABC has announced that preparations for a fresh group of 60 interns are
already underway, whereby half of them would undergo journalism training, while
others would receive skills in video editing and vision mixing.
Enquiries:
Zingisile Mapazi
Cell: 078 803 7879
Issued by: Department of Labour
10 March 2009
Source: Department of Labour (http://www.labour.gov.za/)
