Working together to unlock young people’s potential
Many initiatives and programmes already provide young people with relevant skills, promote inclusive hiring practices and support young entrepreneurs. Yet, these efforts have not stemmed the rise in youth unemployment.
The situation requires coordinated and sustained effort to respond to the needs of the economy and those of young South Africans. Such effort must cut across sectors and mobilise stakeholders across all spheres of society.
Coordination and partnerships for results
This is why the PYEI has made coordination and partnership central to its approach. A Project Management Office (PMO) in the Presidency provides overall coordination and political leadership, while key government departments and agencies lead the implementation. The PYEI has established coordination mechanisms to improve alignment and deliver greater impact with existing resources.
The PYEI promotes greater exchange, dialogue and cooperation with and among partners outside of government:
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The National Pathway Management Network (NPMN) aggregates and consolidates opportunities for young people in one place. A technical committee brings together government and non-government partners to grow and evolve the NPMN.
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The PYEI has established demand-led skilling workstreams in all priority growth sectors. These streams bring together labour supply and demand-side actors to identify skills needs and design interventions to address them.
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In the digital and technology sector, this is achieved through the Digital Work Accelerator, a public private-partnership to deliver inclusive and sustainable earning opportunities for young people.
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The PYEI also facilitates greater dialogue among development partners in the country to identify opportunities for cooperation and joint implementation.
The PYEI dashboard collects data from all implementing organisations, providing a clear picture of collective reach and outputs.
