MBOMBELA – The Provincial Department of Human Settlements has teamed up with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the National Home Builders Registration Council, to provide training to 200 young people in Mpumalanga through a programme called Youth Brigade.

Over R70 Million was allocated to the Youth Brigade Project to skill young people and give them opportunities to enter the construction industry.

The project was launched in 2014 by the national minister of human settlements, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu.

“The Youth Brigade Project has been positioned to skill young people and link them to opportunities in the building environment, at a large scale, through annual intakes. Skills and trades that are offered in the programme are portable across all infrastructure-development programmes,” said Mr Freddy Ngobe spokesman of Department of Human Settlement in Mpumalanga.

Ngobe said the recruitment process was a joint venture in which all stakeholders are involved, including local municipalities and local structures, in identifying the participants. Priority has been given to Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust (MRTT) learners who completed theory on construction but were unable to proceed with practicals.

“The NYDA provides support to participants through recruitment services, job databases, life-skills training, career guidance and job preparedness. The NHBRC is helps with accredited training, provides house-quality assurance and assesses these young people for competence,” said Ngobe.

Ngobe said this project has received massive support from all the three district municipalities in Mpumalanga.
“Upon completion young people will have the opportunity to utilise their newly acquired skills within and beyond their communities. Opportunity strategies have been developed such as sub-contracting opportunities in mega-projects,” added Ngobe.