As SA grapples with a high unemployment rate, especially among the youth, it is important to focus on what can be done to address the problem.
Tashmia Ismail Saville, the CEO of youth employment initiative YES, says: "Business and society are intimately connected to each other. Given SA's high inequality, lack of opportunity for youth and extraordinary rates of youth unemployment, ignoring the issue would be short-sighted." One of the biggest barriers to employment is having no work experience, she says.
She has the following advice for companies on how to make a difference in the lives of SA's young people:
• Technology and the promised fourth industrial revolution provide the means for young people in remote parts of the country to have access to employment. What's more, online training portals allow people to receive the training needed to find work no matter where they are.
• Research has shown that a one-year work opportunity improves the chances of a young person finding more lasting employment. "It de-risks the youth significantly, particularly so if they leave with a credible CV and a reference letter," says Ismail Saville...