Fifty youths received their certificates after completing a one-year construction course in which they majored in different trades.

The course came as part of the provincial social development department’s implementation of the national youth service programme directed at reducing unemployment among young people in impoverished villages in the province.

The department paid about R3m for the duration of the programme and youths who benefitted were drawn from Koffiekraal, Brakkuil and Uitkyk in the Moses Kotane local municipality.

The young people attained NQF Level 3 certificates in building and civil construction. They took up trades like brick making, brick laying, plastering, painting, paving, tiling and carpentry.

Business-related courses that will help the youth join the construction industry as service providers were also offered on the course.

Courses in enterprise development and construction contracting were offered where the youth were trained on how to meet tendering and legal requirements, financial management, business management and understanding the construction environment.

At their graduation ceremony held in Mogwase on Monday most of the beneficiaries thanked the government for giving them a chance to learn skills that would help them find and create employment.

One of the beneficiaries, Thapelo Mangena, 28, from Koffiekraal outside Zeerust said he felt indebted to the department for allowing him a lifetime opportunity to get construction skills.

Mangena, a father of one, has been depending on piece jobs to earn a living.

“We are now ready to enter the labour market. We are still awaiting registration of our cooperative. However, at the moment we are renovating two blocks of classes at Matiki Primary School here in Koffiekraal,” he said.

“This opportunity has made me appreciate that young people should start using their hands to do something meaningful and stop stealing.”

Provincial social development MEC Collen Maine, congratulated the graduating youths and said the programme would continue in other municipalities.

“Currently 50 young people from the Naledi local municipality are undergoing training on furniture making and construction. Another 50 young people from Tlokwe local municipality are being trained on building, civil construction and end user-computing. We are doing this so that our young people become future employers and be the change agents in the communities they come from.”

The national youth service programme is a government initiative aimed at empowering young people with skills to deliver developmental services to their respective communities.
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