Young, South African and Want a Job?

Over a quarter of all South Africans are unemployed, with the unskilled youth taking the brunt of dwindling job opportunities.

Skills shortages in senior management and many of the professions have seen a concerted drive to train and skill up our youngsters at universities and colleges. Not all young South Africans, however, have the academic acumen or financial freedom to tackle professional degrees.

Scarce Artisan Skills are in Demand 

The truth of the matter is that many of the scarce skills desperately needed to develop and grow the economy are not scholastic in nature. Blue collar or artisan skills are as in demand as those of IT specialists, chartered accountants, scientists, engineers and health care professionals, amongst others.

In fact, there are almost 900 000 unfilled positions for highly skilled workers across a wide range of occupations in South Africa today, many of which require leanerships and apprenticeships rather than a university or college education.

Jobs Filled by Imported Workers

At the moment, there is an estimated 40 percent dearth of artisans in South Africa, an alarming trend that has witnessed the country importing welders and other skilled blue collar workers from Malaysia, Ireland, Thailand and India.

Consider an Apprenticeship at an Accredited FET College

Instead of aiming for a difficult, expensive and often unattainable professional degree or diploma, young South Africans should be weighing up their options at government backed Further Education and Training or FET Colleges that provide a bouquet of skills development training courses, human resource development programmes and apprenticeships which culminate in trade tests.

Shine up your Skills in a Trade

 Apprenticeships and learnerships, together with other training courses offered by accredited FET Colleges, are often fully funded by SETAs on the learner’s behalf and include the following scarce and critical trades:

• Welding
  
• Bricklaying
  
• Carpentry
• Plumbing
  
• Electrician

Institutional and Practical Training 

All apprenticeships and learnerships provided by leading FET Colleges are certified by the Department of Higher Education and Training, with the latter comprising both institutional and on the job training, ensuring candidates are fully equipped for the job market.

So, if you are young, South African and unemployed, find a recommended FET College and browse the artisan development courses on offer. Then make an informed choice guaranteed to change your life for the better.