1 000 youths to be empowered thanks to the President
The opportunity to start a career in the healthcare sector will be offered to 1 000 South African youths in the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative recently launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The opportunity to start a career in the healthcare sector will be offered to 1 000 South African youths through a five-year commitment from Netcare, one of five flagship companies participating in the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative recently launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Investing in the youth through enhancing their employability is a direct investment in the future of South Africa, as this is a vehicle for stimulating inclusive economic growth and advancing socio-economic transformation,” said Dr Richard Friedland, chief executive officer of Netcare.
“Through collaborative partnerships, we can do more to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people, who in turn will be empowered to contribute to the economy while enriching the local healthcare sector by developing the relevant skills.”
In total, Netcare aims to upskill 1 000 young South Africans over a five-year period through the following career opportunities: 170 pharmacist assistants, 100 pharmacist stock assistants, 110 human resources interns, 30 in technical and engineering fields, 90 learnerships in various fields for disabled youths, as well as 500 registered nurses.
Dr Nceba Ndzwayiba, General Manager, Enterprise and Supplier Development at Netcare, explained that in addition to providing training, Netcare intends to offer employment to those graduates who successfully complete their courses and meet all the necessary job requirements.
“The nursing training intakes will be staggered over a period of three years. In the first two years, 100 youths per year will be registered for the bridging course leading to enrolment as registered nurses. Depending on the outcome of changes in nursing qualifications and accreditation which are currently under way, it is envisaged that approximately 300 opportunities to study for a National Diploma in Nursing will be available in the third year through Netcare Education’s Faculty of Nursing and Ancillary Healthcare, as part of our initiative,” Dr Ndzwayiba noted.
“The training of 500 youths to become professional nurses will make a small but meaningful contribution towards addressing the critical shortage of professional nurses in our country, which is estimated to have doubled over the last eight years, from 40 000 to a projected 80 000.
“We believe that real progress can be made in addressing youth unemployment if the private and public sectors, regulatory bodies, Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges collaborate to provide training, experiential learning and job opportunities to unemployed young South Africans.”
Netcare commenced with these specific youth employment activities in mid-2017, when 61 students from TVET colleges were recruited into the Basics of Stores and Stock Control (BSSC) programme.
The programme was offered in collaboration with the Health and Welfare SETA (HWSETA), and resulted in 51 young people successfully completing the BSSC certificate and being permanently employed as pharmacy store assistants at various Netcare hospitals around the country.
“These graduates have now been enrolled in a career advancement programme in order to support their entry into the healthcare sector with further career development opportunities,” Dr Ndzwayiba explained.
Twenty of these BSSC graduates, along with Dr Friedland, recently attended President Cyril Ramaphosa’s launch of the YES initiative at the Riverside Incubation Hub in Johannesburg.
Netcare envisages that approximately 80 per cent of the opportunities provided through the initiative will culminate in the successful candidates’ registration or accreditation with relevant councils or professional bodies.
According to the YES initiative, youths who have practical work experience, curricula vitae and references are three times more likely to find employment.
“It is our hope that the theoretical and practical training, as well as the offer of employment on successful completion of the training, will provide brighter and more secure futures for the young people participating in the Netcare initiative,” Dr Ndzwayiba said.
Dr Friedland said that this new chapter in Netcare’s skills development strategy is the culmination of private/ public collaboration, and has gained further momentum through the launch of the YES initiative.
“At the YES initiative launch, President Ramaphosa highlighted the need to ensure a closer match between youth skills and the needs of the economy. With the current shortage of skills in certain fields in the healthcare sector, we are confident that this initiative will assist in addressing the deficits while providing excellent prospects for these candidates well into the future.
“It is a privilege to be contributing towards the national imperative of stimulating youth employment, and we look forward to seeing more and more young South Africans thrive in the years and decades to come,” Dr Friedland concluded.
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