The Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) will be holding a stakeholder’s consultation, on the closure of Phase 3 and plans for Phase 4 of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), together with the launch of ECDoE Learning Networks, at the Mandla Makupula Education Leadership Institute on the 12–13 September 2022.
The Department successfully implemented the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative Phase 3, which came to an end on the 31st August 2022, this was a collaboration between the Provincial Department and the Department of Basic Education, through the Presidential Employment Stimulus funding, which creates employment in response to the rise of unemployment caused by the Covid 19 pandemic.
In PYEI phase 3 the department management appointed 36 023 unemployed youth across the province in all public ordinary and special schools. In order to improve service delivery, the department has come up with departmental learning networks, which will be responsible for providing guidance and advising the department on various performance issues.
Lukhanyo Sidiya, Acting Director for Human Resource Development shared the objectives of the PYEI as follows;
- Transform economy and society
- Poverty alleviation
- Support livelihoods
- Provide economic opportunities
- Create social value
- Formation of partnerships and collaboration
- Create pathways into other forms of work
- Provide youth with opportunities for meaningful experiential learning
Phase 4 of PYEI is underway and the advert is out on http;//www.sayouth.mobi, where all unemployed youth who have not yet participated in this project may now apply. Interviews will be conducted at schools by school SGB and school management team during November and December, appointments will be put on Persal and NDMS during these months aswell. All compulsory trainings to be completed prior to issuing of assumption of duty during December and January. On the 1st February 2023 all trained assistants to commence work in schools.
There are requirements for applicants and Sidiya outlined as follows, just to mention a few;
- Need to be between the ages of 18-34
- Youth residing 5km around the location of the school and 30km for farm schools only
- Must be a South African citizen
- Youth to come from the community where the school is located
Sidiya went on to say that advocacy is well on its way, in means of collaborating with QLTC, adverts on radio stations and also Communications within the department that upload posts on educations social media accounts daily for awareness on this project.
The second part of this program will continue on the 13 September, which will be focused on the official launch of ECDoE strategic learning networks.