Pretoria - An initiative aimed at training the country's unemployed youth was unveiled by Deputy Tourism Minister Tokozile Xasa in Bathurst in the Eastern Cape today.
The Hospitality Youth Initiative (HYI) is aimed at helping 300 unemployed youth from across the country with training to find meaningful employment.
The HYI targets youth between the ages of 18 and 35 years with grade 12 senior certificates to find meaningful employment in the Hospitality Service Industry at entry level.
Speaking at the launch, Xasa said tourism has been positioned as one of the key economic drivers in South Africa to help reduce unemployment and poverty.
"The New Growth Path also expects the tourism sector to create 225 000 jobs and the HYI will also play a critical role in this regard. Tourism has set aside a budget of R8 million, under the auspices of its Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP), to fund this training programme and has entered into an agreement with the HYI, a section 21 Company, to conduct the training.
"This section 21 company has been training young people on the hospitality sector for the past eight years," said Xasa.
The beneficiaries will be trained on skills which are very crucial at any frontline point in any tourism establishment.
The Tourism Service Excellence strategy also expects the sector to create a culture of customer service in the industry, so as to deliver a pleasant and memorable experience for customers.
The project is currently taking on 300 unemployed youth in a pilot phase that started in November 2010 and the provincial breakdown allocation is staggered based on availability of placement facilities and highest potential for full time absorption in employment.
The breakdown of the intake per province is outlined as follows: Gauteng 90, Limpopo 20, Kwazulu-Natal 50, Western Cape 50, Eastern Cape 30, Mpumalanga, 20, Free State 20, Northern Cape 10 and North West 10.
The programme is divided into two phases. In the first phase, the learners undergo an intensive one-month training, which forms part of their theoretical learning and entry into the hospitality industry.
Their training focuses on communication, life skills, customer care, HIV/Aids as well as leadership.
Upon completion of the first phase, the learners are then placed in tourism establishments where they will receive on-the-job training with internationally accepted standards, as laid down by the hospitality industry.
At the end of the training, beneficiaries will be awarded a certificate of competency and some of them may be absorbed by the hospitality establishments.
"It is a great honour and pleasure to launch another initiative that is aimed at contributing towards skills development and creation of job opportunities as we strive to grow the industry and make a meaningful contribution to economic growth", said Xasa. - BuaNews
