Winde says WC govt will invest almost R3bn to upskill youth
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde noted that while the province's unemployment rate was lower than the rest, too many young people are still without jobs.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde provides update on the flooding situation on the Garden Route on 9 April 2024. Picture: @alanwinde on X
CAPE TOWN - Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says his government will invest almost R3 billion over the next three years to upskill the youth for future job opportunities.
Winde noted that while the Western Cape's unemployment rate was lower than other provinces, too many young people are still without jobs.
The premier visited a call centre training facility in Athlone on Tuesday, as part of his campaign as the Democratic Alliance's premier candidate in the province.
Winde said the visit was a great opportunity to engage with the business' young employees and to also see first-hand the difference a job can make in a young person's life.
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He says the BPO sector (Business Process Outsourcing) in the Western Cape has created just under 8,0000 jobs in the last financial year, with an economic impact of R2.7 billion.
Winde adds that the provincial government also has programmes aimed at supporting young people to pursue their dreams.
"We have the Masakh'iSizwe Bursary Programme within out government, that's how we get young people to become the engineers of the future. I think about the other programmes like the 'YearBeyond' programme which we have already done in the last five years nearly 8,000 opportunities, and we are wrapping that up so we can go between 3,000 and 4,000 YearBeyond opportunities for young people every single year going forward."