The Citizen writes that while SA’s unemployment rate of 27.1% in the fourth quarter of 2018 reflected a figure of 6.14 million jobless people, lack of skilled artisans has been singled out by experts as a major barrier to job creation and economic growth.
Notwithstanding youth unemployment above 50%, the country faces a challenge of lack of growth in the artisan economy, Statistics SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter indicates. Deepening the dilemma of government and business in finding required qualified artisans is the fact that few young people take up training in the 13 key critical areas of the artisan economy, compared to many who prefer going to university after high school. Artisan skills currently needed to grow the economy include bricklaying, plumbing, boilermaking, carpentry, welding, mechanical engineering and fitting and turning. According to the National Development Plan (NDP), SA has to produce 30,000 qualified artisans a year to meet labour demand if poverty and inequality are to be drastically reduced by 2030. It is against this background that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has invested billions into further development of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges to produce the much-needed artisans.
- Read the full original of Brian Sokutu’s report in the above regard at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page