Demanding youth or youth in demand?

Youth unemployment in South Africa has reached crisis point, with almost three quarters (72%) of the 4.5 million unemployed population younger than 34. Fewer than 50% of current matriculants will not hold jobs before the age of 24. With these gloomy statistics, it is more vital than ever to explore and initiate ways to bring the youth of South Africa into the economy now.

With increasing media attention focused on the ANC Youth League’s mass mobilization and Action Programme demanding equal share in the country’s wealth and employment for youths on Thursday 27th – Friday 28th October, Supernews spoke to National Youth Director of the Democratic Alliance, Aimee Franklin, who outlined what the DA Youth are doing to motivate and help South Africa’s Youth – without taking to the streets.

Last week saw the launch of the Entrepreneur Programme, the second in a series of campaigns the DA Youth are running to address unemployment. One key element in the campaign is the lobbying for a Youth wage subsidiary. This is a minimal tax incentive for business owners to employ young people who generally do not have much experience and would therefore be largely unemployable. A document was handed over to the Speaker of Parliament, with the Minister of Finance agreeing to the proposal and indicating that money would be set aside for it in his budget this year.

Whereas the wage subsidiary campaign focuses on bringing people into existing businesses as employers, the second part of the DA Youth’s campaign according to Franklin, looks at how they “can turn young people into job creators themselves.” On Wednesday the DA Youth handed over a discussion document outlining the ways in which Government could facilitate increased levels of entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on young people. It also proposed a youth collateral fund which would see Government standing behind young people who want to start their own businesses.

With funding being the most prominent issue in supporting youth employment, the document suggests that “Government could leverage the private sector to help deal with the issue of unemployment in youths”. Schools and career guidance for young people has also been tabled, noting that young people are often pushed towards a professional career as an employee within an organisation, rather than being allowed to develop and enhance their own initiative. To help change this, the DA Youth asserts (in their documentation) that they “want schools to have at least 50 % of their Life Orientation syllabus having an Entrepreneurial focus”.

Amongst young South African graduates there can be a sense of entitlement where Government is expected to deliver employment rather than for them to “step up to the plate and realise those things for themselves”, says Franklin. She also believes a lot of politicians are complacent and even foster this attitude among young people but the DA Youth want to focus on providing them with a platform to help themselves.

“There is a youth unemployment crisis,” says Franklin, “and something definitive needs to be done”. She believes that organisations that employ confrontational or violent tactics to attract the attention of the media and Government will “not necessarily achieve their goals or provide a positive structure and attitude towards helping young people.”

To keep young people motivated and committed to helping themselves, the DA Youth are putting their promises into practise by introducing an ‘opportunity voucher’. The voucher, worth R10,000, would be given by Government to every student who finishes Matric, and could be used as starting capital for a business idea. The DA Youth have also launched a business plan writing competition, with a judging panel full of entrepreneurial experts, rewarding R10, 000 to the most innovative plan.

To enter the ‘Business Plan Competition’ you can visit www.dayouth.org.za. You need to be between 18-30 years old and the competition closes on November 26^th 2011.

Reference: Labour Quarterly Survey