Skills Development Project for Youth in the Eastern Cape

The Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) in partnership with Amathole District Municipality (ADM) is proud to announce the launch of a skills development project aimed at equipping the youth under the ADM with the necessary skills to increase their employability and entrepreneurship prospects.

The Eastern Cape province has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, with the youth accounting for 74.4% of the unemployed population. This project is aligned with the National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Skills Development Plan (NSDP), which both emphasise the need for skills development and job creation for the youth.

The project will be launched on 13 August 2024 at Cuba Community Hall in Butterworth, where Mayors from the district and local municipalities, as well as members of the CETA Board, CEO and Executives, will be in attendance.

The main objective of the project is to provide the youth with skills that are relevant and in demand in the construction sector, which is one of the key drivers of economic growth and infrastructure development in the country. The project will train 170 learners in three learning programmes: unemployed learnership (100 learners), apprenticeship (30 learners), and unemployed artisan recognition of prior learning (ARPL) (40 learners). Learners will receive theoretical and simulation training (30%) and workplace learning (70%) in various construction trades such as bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical. Learners will be placed across the local municipalities under the ADM, which have projects across the learning areas that the learners would be trained against. Learners will be supported with stipends, personal protective equipment (PPE), toolkits, and mentorship throughout the duration of the project. Upon completion of the project, learners will be assessed and certified.

The project will be implemented over a period of 12 months for learnerships, 36 months for apprenticeships, and up to 12 months for the ARPL. The projects are envisaged to start on 1 September 2024.

The project is expected to achieve the following outcomes and impact: increased skills and employability of the youth in the construction sector, increased participation and representation of females and youth in the construction sector, increased economic and social development of the ADM and the Eastern Cape Province, and increased contribution to the NDP and NSDP goals and targets.

For more information, please contact CETA or ADM.

The CETA is reachable on [email protected]