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The Minister in the Presidency: Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and the Minister of Labour, Mildred Oliphant, will on Wednesday, 24 April 2019, officially launch training programmes in KwaZulu-Natal.

The programmes, funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and Compensation Fund (CF) at an estimated cost of R7.9 billion over a period of three to four years, are aimed at creating jobs and entrepreneurs for youth in KwaZulu-Natal and the rest of the country.

The training programmes are being launched after the Department of Labour's UIF and CF entered into partnership agreements with about 32 state owned training providers and institutions to implement training of close to 160 000 learners over a period of 3 years.

The learners who will consist of the youth, CF and UIF beneficiaries will undergo training that will equip them with skills to compete in the labour market or venture into starting their own businesses.

The training will include theoretical and practical training and learners will receive monthly stipends, and the training will vary from Skills Programme, Learnership to Artisan.

The UIF is funding the training through its Labour Activation Programmes (LAP) unit which focuses on mitigating the negative effects of retrenchments, enhancing employability, enabling entrepreneurship and job preservation. 

The Vocational Rehabilitation programme of CF seeks to overcome barriers for injured workers that have sustained disability in returning to work or accessing work for the first time in capacitating occupationally injured and diseased employees, and youth. 

The Programme consists of the provision of skills development and facilitation of return-to-work for injured/ diseased workers, and the Bursary programme to fund critical skills identified by the Fund.  

The launch of the training programmes is also in line with the commitments of the Jobs Summit that was led by President Cyril Ramaphosa last year.

The Ministers will be accompanied by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executives, Mayors, House of Traditional Leaders, senior government officials and UIF & CF board members.

Media are cordially invited to cover the event as follows:

Part One: Flight demonstration by Pilot learners funded by UIF

Venue: King Shaka International Airport

Time: 8:30am

Part Two: Main Event 

Venue: Sugar Rush Farm (Esembe Road, Ballito, Dolphin Coast)

Time: 9:30am

For accreditation, please send your name, surname, ID number and media house, by no later than Tuesday 23 April at 16pm to lungelo.mkamba@labour.gov.za / 079 889 0719

Media enquiries: 

Makhosonke Buthelezi

Director: Marketing and Communication (UIF)

071 491 7236

-ENDS-

Issued by:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694

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