The partnership between Coega Development Corporation (CDC) and the Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works will see an impressive 409 candidates in the province provided with skills and construction training opportunities this year.

The department identified the candidates in support of the National Youth Service Programme (NYSP), from the NYS database.

In consultation with the CDC, the department elected to pursue skills programmes, as these are likely to produce the earliest and most visible results for youth in the Eastern Cape.

Senzeni Ndebele, CDC marketing and communications manager, says the question of youth unemployment and skills development – particularly in the small towns and rural areas of the Eastern Cape – remains a key challenge, one that translates into unemployed and unskilled young people encountering huge stumbling blocks in finding jobs.

“In recognition of the pivotal and central role the Coega Human Capital Solutions Division continues to play in the sphere of human capital development in the Eastern Cape – and as an implementing agent that facilitates training and development – the unit was identified as a favourable choice for delivery for this project,” she explains.

The Provincial Department of Roads and Public Works expressed the need for an accredited skills training programme, encompassing an average of 30 credits, to be offered to 409 candidates in the Eastern Cape in the following skills areas: plumbing, carpentry, painting, bricklaying, electrical as well as pipe-laying.

Youth unemployment statistics reveal that this group is being excluded from the labour force, owing either to lack of job experience or to the perception that they are less productive than experienced workers.

The Coega Human Capital Solutions’ mission – to ensure labour market-relevant, practical and appropriate training for its project beneficiaries – has led to the unrelenting pursuit of quality in training provision.

Upon completion, all candidate results will be uploaded on the National Learners’ Records Database, and each candidate will receive a formal statement of credit and a nationally recognised certificate of competence.

The CDC is the operator of the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) outside Port Elizabeth. Established in 1999, the CDC is wholly owned by the South African Government.

The Coega IDZ is South Africa’s premier location for new industrial investments.

The CDC aims to provide a competitive investment location and a total business solution for its customers as well as ensuring sustainable economic development in the region.

www.coega.com