Date: 30/06/2004
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs
Title: M Gigaba: Launch of Home Affairs internship programme
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY MINISTER - DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS, MR.MALUSI GIGABA, DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS AT THE SABC STUDIO IN AUCKLAND PARK, Johannesburg, 30 June 2004
We are truly grateful and honoured that you all found time to attend this humble activity to launch the internship programme of the Department of Home Affairs. In our modest way, we too, as the Department are making what we hope will be a material contribution both to the development and improvement of skills of youth of our country as well as to the improvement of service delivery in the department through the interns.
In this way, we hope we will contribute also to the fulfilment of government's commitment towards both skills development and youth development. I am sure we are all well aware of the fact that there is a serious skills revolution required in our country if we are to realise the growth and development targets that we have set ourselves as a country, and in order to break the cycle of poverty that continues to menace the black majority. I am also certain that we are all well aware of another fact that the worst victims of lack of skills, and hence of unemployment and economic marginalisation, are young people below the age of 35, who constitute 73.8% of all unemployed people, according to the Census.
It makes sense, therefore, that youth should receive the most urgent attention of the nation, especially given the immense potential that youth energy, ambition and idealism can do for the South African economy and, given on the other, the real danger that youth economic marginalisation poses for South Africa's social transformation project. The critical challenge that faces the Second Decade of our Freedom, to halve poverty and reverse the scourge of unemployment, speaks directly to both the decisive role of the youth as well as to the critical need for our country to pay attention to their development, in order to raise the calibre of leadership of the youth, their skills and competencies so that they can ably participate in and lead the country's renewal efforts.
Youth development is about both redressing the grave effects of the past apartheid policies on the youth, which had left them socially and economically devastated, and it is also about imparting on the youth the capacity for them to seize the opportunities of democracy in order to confront the future, and to master their own destiny. In pursuit of this objective, government has undertaken to honour its Growth and Development Summit commitments with regard to both the learnership and internship programmes.
Justifiably, the youth expect that the 72 000 target for learnerships, 98% of whom must be below 35 years of age, and therefore the Minister of Labour has re-committed government to ensuring that this target is met. This programme is thus a small contribution dedicated to the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated youth development programme, led by the National Youth Commission, involving all other government departments.
Central to this youth development programme is the vitally important need to address youth economic marginalisation through comprehensive youth economic participation programmes that enhance the capacity of the youth through employment creation, skills development and entrepreneurship programmes. In line with the President's State of the Nation Address, in which he outlined BEE and skills development programmes, we are acting to give effect to his commitments to young people.
A crucial matter that often tends to inhibit youth employment, other than the lack of skills, is the lack of requisite skills and lack of work experience. Often, young people live the formal education system without practical work experience, and at times being inadequately skilled, possessing irrelevant skills that disadvantage them in their search for jobs. What we are therefore doing today is launch our own contribution to the comprehensive and integrated youth development programme. From the outset, we challenge other government departments, including state-owned enterprises, and, in particular, private sector also to support youth and give them the opportunity to develop themselves.
I am happy to announce that the Department of Home Affairs is going to recruit 350 young people into the departmental internship programme, half of whom will be female, for a 12 months period. The process of recruitment will happen during the month of July and we hope to have started in two months time. All our divisions are ready for the interns, and have prepared trainers and mentors for them. We are truly gratefully that the Umsobomvu Youth Fund has forged a partnership with us in the pursuit of these goals upon whose basis the Fund itself was founded.
We are also happy that the National Youth Commission is here to support this humble contribution towards youth development and empowerment. This is the People's Contract in action. We cannot promise to the interns that we will offer them jobs in the Department upon the conclusion of their studies, but we can promise to do our best to offer them the opportunity, through this programme, to upgrade their skills, obtain practical work experience, all of which prove vital in their further pursuit of their careers and pursuits.
Some may, if opportunities do arise, proceed to get jobs within the Department, although our primary intention through this programme we are launching today is to provide an opportunity for skills and work experience. Interns will join an exciting Department that is at the heart of government service delivery, and that is transforming itself into a new client-centred, quality service-oriented Department that complies with the concept of a people-centred and caring government. They will be expected both to learn and to contribute to this environment, and by the time they depart, they must have been enriched, and they must themselves have enriched the change environment, the new attitude and new culture and ethos in the Department.
Once more, I wish to thank the staff and the senior management of our Department for acting quickly to create this programme as well as the conditions according to which interns can work. This is the new attitude in our Department; we are part of the changing South Africa, part of a government that cares. Further, we wish to thank the SABC for providing us with the venue for this exciting launch. We hope, as well, that the partnership will last and grow.
We thank the rest of the electronic and print media that supported this launch and this programme, informing young people and thus contributing to raising their hope that their plight is being addressed.
I Thank you.
Issued by: Ministry of Home Affairs
30 June 2004
Source: Department of Home Affairs (http://www.home-affairs.gov.za)
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs
Title: M Gigaba: Launch of Home Affairs internship programme
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY MINISTER - DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS, MR.MALUSI GIGABA, DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS AT THE SABC STUDIO IN AUCKLAND PARK, Johannesburg, 30 June 2004
We are truly grateful and honoured that you all found time to attend this humble activity to launch the internship programme of the Department of Home Affairs. In our modest way, we too, as the Department are making what we hope will be a material contribution both to the development and improvement of skills of youth of our country as well as to the improvement of service delivery in the department through the interns.
In this way, we hope we will contribute also to the fulfilment of government's commitment towards both skills development and youth development. I am sure we are all well aware of the fact that there is a serious skills revolution required in our country if we are to realise the growth and development targets that we have set ourselves as a country, and in order to break the cycle of poverty that continues to menace the black majority. I am also certain that we are all well aware of another fact that the worst victims of lack of skills, and hence of unemployment and economic marginalisation, are young people below the age of 35, who constitute 73.8% of all unemployed people, according to the Census.
It makes sense, therefore, that youth should receive the most urgent attention of the nation, especially given the immense potential that youth energy, ambition and idealism can do for the South African economy and, given on the other, the real danger that youth economic marginalisation poses for South Africa's social transformation project. The critical challenge that faces the Second Decade of our Freedom, to halve poverty and reverse the scourge of unemployment, speaks directly to both the decisive role of the youth as well as to the critical need for our country to pay attention to their development, in order to raise the calibre of leadership of the youth, their skills and competencies so that they can ably participate in and lead the country's renewal efforts.
Youth development is about both redressing the grave effects of the past apartheid policies on the youth, which had left them socially and economically devastated, and it is also about imparting on the youth the capacity for them to seize the opportunities of democracy in order to confront the future, and to master their own destiny. In pursuit of this objective, government has undertaken to honour its Growth and Development Summit commitments with regard to both the learnership and internship programmes.
Justifiably, the youth expect that the 72 000 target for learnerships, 98% of whom must be below 35 years of age, and therefore the Minister of Labour has re-committed government to ensuring that this target is met. This programme is thus a small contribution dedicated to the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated youth development programme, led by the National Youth Commission, involving all other government departments.
Central to this youth development programme is the vitally important need to address youth economic marginalisation through comprehensive youth economic participation programmes that enhance the capacity of the youth through employment creation, skills development and entrepreneurship programmes. In line with the President's State of the Nation Address, in which he outlined BEE and skills development programmes, we are acting to give effect to his commitments to young people.
A crucial matter that often tends to inhibit youth employment, other than the lack of skills, is the lack of requisite skills and lack of work experience. Often, young people live the formal education system without practical work experience, and at times being inadequately skilled, possessing irrelevant skills that disadvantage them in their search for jobs. What we are therefore doing today is launch our own contribution to the comprehensive and integrated youth development programme. From the outset, we challenge other government departments, including state-owned enterprises, and, in particular, private sector also to support youth and give them the opportunity to develop themselves.
I am happy to announce that the Department of Home Affairs is going to recruit 350 young people into the departmental internship programme, half of whom will be female, for a 12 months period. The process of recruitment will happen during the month of July and we hope to have started in two months time. All our divisions are ready for the interns, and have prepared trainers and mentors for them. We are truly gratefully that the Umsobomvu Youth Fund has forged a partnership with us in the pursuit of these goals upon whose basis the Fund itself was founded.
We are also happy that the National Youth Commission is here to support this humble contribution towards youth development and empowerment. This is the People's Contract in action. We cannot promise to the interns that we will offer them jobs in the Department upon the conclusion of their studies, but we can promise to do our best to offer them the opportunity, through this programme, to upgrade their skills, obtain practical work experience, all of which prove vital in their further pursuit of their careers and pursuits.
Some may, if opportunities do arise, proceed to get jobs within the Department, although our primary intention through this programme we are launching today is to provide an opportunity for skills and work experience. Interns will join an exciting Department that is at the heart of government service delivery, and that is transforming itself into a new client-centred, quality service-oriented Department that complies with the concept of a people-centred and caring government. They will be expected both to learn and to contribute to this environment, and by the time they depart, they must have been enriched, and they must themselves have enriched the change environment, the new attitude and new culture and ethos in the Department.
Once more, I wish to thank the staff and the senior management of our Department for acting quickly to create this programme as well as the conditions according to which interns can work. This is the new attitude in our Department; we are part of the changing South Africa, part of a government that cares. Further, we wish to thank the SABC for providing us with the venue for this exciting launch. We hope, as well, that the partnership will last and grow.
We thank the rest of the electronic and print media that supported this launch and this programme, informing young people and thus contributing to raising their hope that their plight is being addressed.
I Thank you.
Issued by: Ministry of Home Affairs
30 June 2004
Source: Department of Home Affairs (http://www.home-affairs.gov.za)
Advertisement
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
