The EThekwini municipality hosted a 2-day Youth Employability Indaba and Career Expo at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Conventional Centre Arena this morning.
The audience was filled with over Grade 12 students from over fifty schools and University and College students from across eThekwini.
With this Indaba, the city aims to assist students to better understand their subjects and give them knowledge of how to equip themselves skills that will improve their employability.
This was to address the decreasing number of graduates and the rising number of job seekers who lack the skills and competencies required by the job market. South Africa continues to battle with unemployment with a rate of 45.5% of unemployed young people ranging from the ages of 15-34.
These challenges have contributed to the rising number of unemployment, where talents of the youth are being underutilized. Speaking on behalf of the Deputy Director Youth Economic Empowerment at Department of Economic Development & Tourism Xolani Makhwasa, Nomkhize highlighted the need for education and the importance of understanding what type of education and skills one needs take that first step to a successful future. She further stated that young people need to keep abreast with the developments that take place around them. “Let us keep updated with any digital space developments because the fourth industrial revolution is where we are and it is something we all need to talk about. We also want young people to be economically active and all that starts with education,” said Nomkhize.
One of the objectives of the Indaba is to expose learners with disabilities into diverse career paths and insights into specific industries and job opportunities.
The Youth Unemployment Indaba is held under the theme ‘Embrace the Digital Era’ and features a career expo component, where stakeholders from various educational institutions and corporate sectors highlight their services.
This is to help learners make informed decisions about their career paths and skills that will meet job market demands.