The Congress Of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has praised the implementation of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES). The programme created thousands of jobs and combated unemployment in South Africa.
While one of the country’s biggest unions praised the implementation of the programme, they questioned why it has not been expanded.
This expansion could create more jobs for young people and reduce youth unemployment. The total number of unemployed youth stood at 4,6 million in the third quarter of 2022.
“It is lamentable that the Presidential Employment Stimulus has provided work opportunities for 500 000 young people but has not been expanded to accommodate more young people,” said Cosatu.
The PES was established to mitigate the economic challenges the Covid-19 pandemic creates. One aspect of the PES was the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI).
The BEEI says the creation of more than 800,000 job opportunities for youth at schools around the country to support teachers and schools. The BEEI is currently in its fourth phase and has created around 255,000 youth jobs.
It's important to note that individuals who were part of the previous three phases of the BEEI were not considered for jobs in phase 4. This was done to ensure other youth also get an opportunity to benefit from the programme.
Youth placed in schools will work in one of six areas at schools.
- Curriculum – support for teachers in classrooms;
- Reading Champions – grow and encourage the reading culture in schools;
- CSAs – provision of psychosocial support for learners;
- Handymen and women – on infrastructure maintenance;
- eCadres on ICT integration in classrooms and administrative support; and
- Special Education Assistants – that will assist learners with various activities including extramural activities.
When youth leave the programme, it is believed that they have acquired the knowledge and skills needed to increase their employability. Youth would have also built their confidence and have an improved attitude towards work and life.
