Question NW3861 to the Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
04 January 2024 - NW3861
Masiko, Ms F to ask the Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
What (a) measures has her Office, in partnership with the private sector and The Presidency, put in place to strengthen the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, noting the repurposing of funds from other schemes such as the Expanded Public Works Programme and Community Work Programme to the Presidential Employment Stimulus and (b) are the enablers for its effectiveness?
Reply:
a) The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) is delivered through a partnership approach, and a Project Management Office (PMO) has been established in the Presidency which is responsible for overall coordination and strategic oversight. Key government departments lead implementation of various youth employment initiatives such as the National Youth Service, the Expanded Public Works Programme, and the Community Works Programme, among others, which are all coordinated through the PMO.
b) The Department has partnered with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to conceptualise the SANDF-led National Service, which is a programme for young people to be trained on certain skills to restore dignity and provide for their livelihood. Cabinet has designated the departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Employment and Labour; Higher Education, Science and Innovation; Small Business Development; Transport; Public Works and Infrastructure; Defence and Military Veterans; Trade, Industry and Competition; the Government Communication and Information Services and the Presidency to be a part of the technical team that will lead this initiative. The effectiveness of our initiatives to address youth unemployment hinges on the availability of resources to implement these initiatives at a scale proportional to the magnitude of the problem. We anticipate that resources will be repurposed to fund this initiative.