Coega shows support for NYSP
The Coega Development Corporation’s partnership with the Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works will see 409 candidates in the province provided with skills and construction training opportunities this year.
The department identified the candidates in support of the National Youth Services Programme, from the NYS database. In consultation with the CDC, the department elected to pursue skills programmes, as these are likely to produce the earliest and most visible results for youth in the Eastern Cape.
Senzeni Ndebele, CDC Marketing and Communications manager, says the question of youth unemployment and skills development – particularly in the small town and rural areas of the Eastern Cape – remains a key challenge; one that translates into unemployed and unskilled young people encountering huge stumbling blocks in finding jobs.
“In recognition of the pivotal and central role the Coega Human Capital Solutions division unit continues to play in the sphere of Human Capital Development in the Eastern Cape – and as an implementing agent that facilitates training and development – the unit was identified as a favourable choice for delivery for the project,” says Ndebele.
The Department of Roads and Public Works expressed the need for an accredited skills training programme, encompassing an average of 30 credits, to be offered to 409 candidates in the Eastern Cape in the following skills areas:
- plumbing
- carpentry
- painting
- bricklaying
- electrical
- pipe-laying
Youth unemployment statistics reveal that this group is being excluded from the labour force owing either to lack of job experience, or to the perception that they are less productive than experienced workers.
The Coega HCS’s mission of ensuring labour market relevance, practical and appropriate training for its project beneficiaries, has led to the unrelenting pursuit of quality in training provision.
Upon completion, all candidate results will be uploaded on the National Learner Record database, and each candidate will receive a formal statement of credit and a nationally recognised certificate of competence.
