It’s coming to that time of the year again, where matriculants complete their final year of high school, and look toward their futures. Ideally, the decision following matric should be a simple one of join the workforce immediately, pursue higher education, or take a gap year, if what one wants to do with the rest of one’s life has not been quite decided yet.
“South Africa’s matric pass rate as at 2021 is 76.4%,”” says Eileen Thornhill, Director of The LLC Academy, a 73.57% Black Owned Level 2 Designated Group Supplier that is Services Seta, QCTO and COMENSA accredited. “We are sincerely hoping, along with the rest of South Africa, that this figure sees an improvement in 2022. That said, a good matric does not necessarily mean the world is automatically your oyster. At The LLC Academy, we have seen many young people who have worked incredibly hard, done very well, and yet are struggling to get where they need to be on their own.”
South Africa is currently in the unenviable position of suffering from a skills shortage, while having a youth unemployment rate of 46.5% in Q2:2022. “We have a large segment of the population that finds it very difficult to find work, and added to that, the fourth industrial revolution requires that our workforce is equipped with more and more specialised skills,” says Thornhill. “While there are currently some government interventions that are attempting to ameliorate the issue, such as the Youth Employment Stimulus and the Social Employment Fund, which are designed to support youth-owned businesses, the fact remains that this problem cannot be solved without all South Africans stepping up and contributing to a fix.”
One of the programmes that can truly make a difference to South African youth is The LLC Academy’s YOUᵀᴴ Programme. “This programme addresses the unemployment problem by connecting unemployed graduates and school leavers to Corporates who will provide them with the relevant work experience and training that they need,” says Thornhill. “YOUᵀᴴ delegates acquire skills that equip them for the current and future world of work.”
“Running a graduate programme can be costly, and many companies don’t have capacity to implement an effective graduate programme without dedicated staff to manage the roll out,” says Thornhill. “YOUᵀᴴ is a sustainable solution for all companies – unemployed students are enrolled on a one-year programme, that provides them with coaching and support to develop them holistically. Our YOUᵀᴴ programme students complete work readiness training through an accredited training provider, equipping them with skills for the future world of work. At the same time, they are hosted in companies where they gain valuable work experience.” The hosting companies may well identify students that are a good fit for their business and offer them long term employment.
“In this way, The LLC Academy helps to facilitate benefit to every party involved,” says Thornhill. “With programmes such as YOUᵀᴴ, it is possible for South Africans to help in the project of equipping our recent graduates with what they need to be a part of the South African Project themselves.”
If you are interested in the YOUᵀᴴ Programme, or would like to know how else The LLC Academy is working towards making South Africa a better place for all of us, contact our experts today.