REGIONAL FOCUS: FREE STATE BY JESSIE TAYLOR
Free State
Changing lives through training and employment
F
ree State is the latest province to benefit from a government programme that will look to create thousands of employment opportunities.
Through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), the Labour Activation Programme (LAP) is set up to provide training that will upskill youth for employment and entrepreneurship. The Labour Activation Programme was recently launched in the Free State by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi. The programme offers training for between 12 and 36 months, with participants attached to job posttraining that will allow them to obtain experience. UPSKILLING AND EMPOWERING The Minister said that the Department of Employment and Labour has set aside R23.8-billion to fund the training for employment
40 | Public Sector Leaders |May 2024
and entrepreneurship programme. The labour activation programmes run over multiple sectors, including agriculture, services, IT, construction, engineering, wholesale and retail, safety and security, hospitality, social services, textile and transport. Participants who will be hired and trained in the programme will be selected through the Department of Employment and Labour’s Employment Services of South Africa database. The labour activation programmes are expected to be rolled out in all provinces by the end of May. The Labour Activation Programme was created under the mandate of the Department of Employment and Labour to stimulate job creation, enhance the employability of the unemployed, preserve existing jobs and improve operational efficiencies of companies in distress.
THE PROGRAMME AIMS TO: • • • •
Create opportunities for employment Skill and re-skill of unemployed people Combat long-term unemployment Alleviate poverty and reduce unemployment
The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) harnesses its partnerships to deliver the Labour Activation Programme on behalf of the department. The intent is to create two million work opportunities in the immediate future. This is in line with the National Development Plan, which envisions the creation of 11 million new jobs by 2030. There are currently 25 approved projects committing jobs and enterprise development opportunities to approximately 69 000 unemployed beneficiaries.