By Kupakwashe Kambasha (2 mins read)
The South African Council for Graduates Co-operatives (SACGRA) is offering a helping hand for students and graduates to better their chances of being hired.
Its assistance comes in the form of ensuring that students and graduates develop competency through workplace training. Further training is provided for students to be able to start and run their own businesses.
Thamsanqa Maqubela, the CEO of the Council, shed light on the lack of workplace training after the completion of studies. He was speaking in an interview with the eNCA on Saturday, 18th of May.
“We believe strongly in workplace training. But you cannot do workplace training only when students have left the university or college. You got to do it while they are still studying,” said Maqubela.
“What I have realised is that our universities and colleges are not preparing our young people for work; they learn how things work [and about] concepts. But they are not really trained to become competent,” explained Maqubela.
Several students share the same sentiment as that expressed by Maqubela. “It’s (workplace training) a very important aspect of the whole curriculum. So, I think it’s missing and the moment these graduates get there, they are clueless,” Anoziva Gumbie, a postgraduate student from UJ told The Open Journal.
A lack of work experience results in a dilemma of graduates finding it difficult to break into the job market and consequently leading to the rise in youth unemployment.
The recent Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) findings on youth unemployment for the first quarter of 2019 revealed a 55.2% rate, an increase from 54.70% in the fourth quarter of 2018. TOJ
Reporting by Kupakwashe Kambasha. Editing by Gaby Ndongo. Feature image by FotografieLink and obtained from Pixabay.
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