Polokwane - Almost half a million job opportunities will be created in Limpopo this year, provincial government authorities have said.
Provincial public works spokesperson, Molebatsi Masedi, said the province's second phase of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) will create 441 993 job opportunities, which will represent 10% of the national target of 4.5 million.
This was highlighted during a visit of representatives of the Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) that the department organised in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) between 30 January and 1 February.
"The purpose of the visit was to look at the progress of EIIP projects in the province," said Masedi on Wednesday.
The EIIP, which is an ILO programme, supports governments, employers, unions and community-based organisations to enhance investment in infrastructure development and also improve community access to basic goods and services.
As part of his tour, EIIP chief executive Terje Tessem visited the Capricorn Further Education and Training College where a tree planting ceremony took place.
"Tessem is a civil engineer by profession, and so advised the engineering students to be serious about their studies. He told them that education was essential in enabling the country to use its own experts as opposed to importing skills from other countries," said Masedi.
Masedi said it was important for Tessem to visit the province because of the relationship between the ILO and the provincial government. He said South Africa was re-admitted to the ILO in 1994 after a 30-year isolation period when it withdrew from international labour forums due to political pressure.
An agreement between the ILO and South Africa has since produced the Gundo Lashu project, which was launched by the provincial Roads Agency Limpopo in 2001 to help rehabilitate and maintain gravel roads.
The EPWP followed in 2004, with the provision of essential services and infrastructure to disadvantaged communities while developing skills of the unemployed.
"The ILO technical team has made a significant contribution to the achievements of the EPWP in Limpopo," said Masedi.
Masedi said some of the major achievements include training and capacity development in which 438 project managers, 137 consultants and mentors from Limpopo and other provinces attended reorientation courses in Labour Intensive Construction (LIC).
"There were 105 trainees from construction firms on all aspects of LIC works, while external international courses were also organised for 30 government officials," he said.
Masedi said the other achievements included technical advisory support, which provided technical advice on planning, design and project management support in the implementation of infrastructure works to all implementing agencies, especially local and district municipalities and provincial departments.
Industrial research and development in collaboration with the Council of Scientific Research on LIC road works were conducted.
"As a result of the above ILO interventions, the provincial EPWP has managed to create a number of employment opportunities through the provisions of infrastructure works and other public services," said Masedi.
The first phase of the EPWP between 2005 and 2009 created 144 472 work opportunities in Limpopo, which was 14,4% of the national target of 1 million work opportunities.
The collaboration between ILO and the provincial public works department will cover the second phase until December 2014.
