By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
13 March 2025- More than 24 000 job opportunities are expected to benefit the youth as the North West province forges ahead with finding solutions in addressing the scourge of unemployment in the province. This emerged during a roundtable discussion between the North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi and Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, organised labour, business and civil society in Rustenburg.
Mokgosi said the initiative, which is a collaborative work between the North West Provincial Government (NWPG), and the Department of Employment and Labour, will be implemented through Labour Activation Plan (LAP). He further said the LAP initiative is funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), aiming to enhance employability, enable entrepreneurship, and preserve jobs through skills training, enterprise development, and other various intervention measures.
“The much-anticipated announcement which will be made by Minister Makhosazana Meth on 14 March 2025, forms part of the province’s ongoing efforts to nip youth unemployment in the bud.
“This initiative has been on the pipeline for some time and I am happy that it is coming to fruition. This is one of the policy announcements I made during the State of the Province Address (SOPA) to help find solutions to high levels of unemployment in the province,” he said.
Addressing delegates Deputy Minister Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, insists that the government has through LAP targeting over 24 000 young people in the North West.
“The roll-out of this programme is in full swing in various provinces and North West is the latest beneficiary.
“Young people will be trained in various fields such as engineering, agriculture and artisanal work in preparation for the job market and consequently placed at various industries,” said Tshabalala.
The Guardian 