The CIE Thabiso Skills Institute, in collaboration with JET Education Services and MSC Artisan Academy and with support from J.P. Morgan, is implementing a developmental project to up-skill unemployed youth in a number of areas across South Africa. This initiative is South Africa’s first global innovation for workplace-based learning as part of the New Skills for Youth initiative (NS4Y) being undertaken by J.P. Morgan in a number of countries across the world. Lessons from this innovation will be used to inform other local and international youth employment creation initiatives.
As part of this initiative a dialogue was held on 16 May 2018 at the CIE offices, where robust, interactive and constructive discussions took place on the placement of learners into workplaces for the workplace-based learning component of an accredited skills programme/qualification.
Dr Rooksana Rajab gave a very informative presentation on the Challenges in Workplace Based Learning and The Need for Dialogue and Carla Pereira presented the initial research findings of JET Education Services in the area of WPBL and youth employment. One of the biggest challenges is getting business, government and institutions into the same forum at the same time to discuss the issue of work placements for the youth. “Each stakeholder believes that their challenge is larger and more difficult to resolve, yet coming together and agreeing on a pathway forward can make a real difference”, Dr Rajab says.
The question of how we get unemployed youth into jobs in the fastest possible time, with a well sort-after skill, and in large numbers to address the crisis we face was uppermost in everybody’s minds. Watch this space as we come back with more on the subject.