Education and skills development remain key to increasing chances of
employability and productivity, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana
said during the showcasing of scarce skills training projects in
Johannesburg today (Thursday).
Mdladlana who addressed a packed podium of stakeholders including
learners and employers said a strong skills base promotes productivity
in two ways:
"Firstly, it enables enterprises to adapt rapidly to change,
innovate and move with greater ease, up the value chain. Secondly,
skills and an education system that prepares people to learn underlie
the individual’s employability. This in turn, allows new knowledge to
be rapidly applied in enterprises and enables individuals greater
labour market security when their jobs are at risk."
"Investment in training is the responsibility of all stakeholders,
government, enterprises, social partners and individuals. Better
employment can become a reality when we empower workers, raise
productivity levels and meet the skills need of our economy," he
said.
Minister Mdladlana said the department has paid a staggering R11.4
million towards the training of at least 1000 youth in civil
engineering related skills, and have all been placed on 2010
projects.
"One of the big challenges we faced in the past is that after
training unemployed persons, they were not able to secure sustainable
jobs, and projects of this sort will go a long way in addressing such
challenges," he said
Mdladlana also spoke vehemently about the urgency of training
disabled people.
"Blind or partly sighted people are not disabled, but they simply
have disability that can be overcome with correct tools and
environment" he said.
The projects which were being showcased today culminate from an
initiative by the Department of Labour Provincial Office in
Johannesburg, which during the 2007/8 financial years funded a variety
of skills development projects in terms of the Social Development
Funding Window of the National Skills Fund.
A whopping amount of R7.469m was used in training 264 artisans. Many
of these projects focused on scarce and critical skills in line with
ASGI-SA and JIPSA.
