Shifting mindsets and systems is key to youth’s economic inclusion
Alexandra’s path to economic inclusion hinges on changing young people’s mindsets and streamlining access to job opportunities.
The impact of youth unemployment hits hard, especially in Alexandra, where young people live close to economic opportunities they can barely access in the neighbouring suburbs.
Community leaders believe that Alexandra youth can access those opportunities only if they can change their perspective about development programmes, and if the government can ease access to employment opportunities.
Mush Raletjena, the founder of the SA Job Seekers Movement, emphasised that young people could break through the barrier of economic exclusion. He explained that one of the easiest ways to do so was if the Department of Employment and Labour created a centralised job portal.
Read more: SA Job Seekers boosts employment prospects for Alexandra youth
“One of the things that discourages young people from searching for a job is that they are always expected to deliver their CVs, not getting called or given any opportunities. That is why we came up with this proposal… A person has to register once for employment.”
He further shared that the influx of migrants who sought economic prosperity in South Africa indicated that there were opportunities in the country. He believes that the problem was that young people are not always willing to get those jobs, and this can be attributed to the daunting job searching process.
Sindi Ndlovu, a skills coordinator in Region E, echoed similar views. She noted that the root issue of young people’s economic exclusion was not just the scarcity of opportunities; it was a mindset.
Stats SA’s report indicates that 58.7% of the country’s 4.8m unemployed youth have no previous work experience. It elaborates that this means that six out of 10 young people are waiting for their first opportunity to get into the labour market, but without experience, their prospects of success are low.
However, a plethora of skills development programmes have been rolled out in Alexandra to bridge the experience gap and allow youth to break into the world of work. But they still fall short of empowering the majority of young people. Ndlovu believes this is because of young people’s lack of interest in these programmes and a sharp focus on stipends over skills.
“I think what needs to happen here in the community of Alexandra is for us as youth to change our mindset on what we expect from our organisations… Stakeholders have been bringing skills here in Alexandra, but only to find that the community here is not taking it seriously.”
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