NYS PARTICIPANTS REVAMP NATURE RESERVES AS PART OF SKILLS EMPOWERMENT

NYS PARTICIPANTS REVAMP NATURE RESERVES AS PART OF SKILLS EMPOWERMENT

By BRIAN KAJENGO

The youth under the National Youth Service programme now have a new lease of life, after the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport partnered with the Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism paving a way for the participants to renovate buildings at the Nature reserves.

This positive move has opened opportunities for 14 youth co-operatives who were established under the National Youth Service Building Maintenance programme to provide artisanship work such as glazing, tiling crackers, painting wall, paving and landscaping. A total of 308 youth are benefitting from the project.

They are renovating buildings within the Nature Reserves in the country, which includes amongst others the Loskop Dam Nature reserves, Manyeleti Nature reserve, Songimvelo Nature reserve as well as the Blyte Nature reserve.

The Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport has taken the NYS programme a step further by introducing co-operatives aimed at empowering the youth with entrepreneurial and artisanship skills. The initiative is called the National Youth Service Building Maintenance programme where participants maintain government buildings including the nature Reserves.

One of the beneficiaries from the project is Ms Gugu Malapane who works for the co-operative at the Loskop Dam Nature reserves. She said that the project has brought a positive change into her life and other unskilled and unemployed youth. “I now believe my future is bright together with my team, since the programme has opened work opportunities for us.

“We were offered a chance to form co-operatives thus maintain government building which is a positive move by government to address the high unemployment rate amongst the youth. We are currently renovating the rooms for the singles, married quarters and we will later refurbish other parts of the buildings in the reserve” she explained.

 The co-operatives are working for a period of a year under the mentorship of a consultant, who has been appointed to monitor and mentor them.

Ms Shirley Sibiya who is the Senior Nature Conservator from the National Tourism and Parks Agency stationed at Loskop Nature reserve said she is impressed with the work done by the youth.

“I would like to encourage other unemployed youth to participate into the programme, because it is a life changing programme that will provide them with skills that they will use to secure permanent employment in various sectors” she added.

 

The programme seeks to integrate young people into the labour market thus prevent the high urban migration and youth unemployment rate. The National Youth Service Building Maintenance programme is part of the exit strategy of the NYS programme, where NYS participants form co-operatives to refurbish clinics, schools and other public facilities.

In the past eight years, the Department has contributed quite significantly in addressing youth unemployment since the launch of the programme in 2007 at Pilgrims Rest.

To date a total of three thousands and six hundred and five (3605) youths have been empowered through the artisanship programme, which saw participants undergoing a classroom and practical training. In the 2014/2015 financial year, the department is planning to absorb at least three hundred and fifty five (355) unemployed youth set to benefit.