According to Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2022, the youth continue to bear the brunt of unemployment in South Africa. The survey noted that official unemployment stands at 63,9% for youth aged 15 to 24 years old, and 42,1% for those aged 25 to 34 years. The survey also highlighted that figures for these age segments are higher than the national unemployment rate, which currently stands at 34,5%.
Youth unemployment is a pervasive challenge in South Africa and one that the Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated. In an attempt to remedy this, the Motsepe Foundation has invested in providing, and access to, quality education for young people from low-income communities across South Africa for the past decade.
In addition to this, the foundation recently launched an expo to expose a million young people from South Africa and the rest of the continent to job opportunities. With a clearly defined purpose statement of ‘WE DEVELOP PEOPLE, TO SERVE PEOPLE, TO UPLIFT SOCIETY’, Tsebo was a key contender to take place in the expo and highlight the many internship and job opportunities available across the Group.
The Information & Opportunities Expo took place on 28 June under the theme Unlocking Opportunities that Address Youth Unemployment. Tsebo was on hand to expose participants and expo partners to opportunities arising within Tsebo’s Transformation and Local development programme, as well as to register participants for skills development opportunities, in line with Tsebo’s B-BBEE commitment. The expo was also an opportunity to showcase job placement or internship opportunities the youth could sign up for.
“Tsebo is one of the biggest employers in South Africa. We want to be part of the solution and this expo helps us to put our best foot forward and make sure we continue to add to the social cohesion and social participation and development of our country,” said Jackie Mehlomakulu, Tsebo Group Transformation Manager, HR.
Tsebo provides over a 1000 SETA Accredited Learnerships through our Leaning and Development Academy. A further 150 SETA accredited Learnerships Training sessions are provided to youngsters with disabilities. Tsebo also sponsors five young girls to complete their secondary education at Christel House, South Africa.
Tsebo is passionate about youth development and employment and will continue aligning to its people-first purpose by helping transform South Africa’s and the broader Africa’s youth through employment and training opportunities.
