SACTWU launches R25mn 'Youth Development Programme'

This programme was adopted by the SACTWU National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting yesterday, and will be rolled out over a 3 year period.

In summary, this R25m youth employment assistance package will help about 94 000 youth and children.

It includes support for workplace internships, job placements for unemployed graduates, work experience placements in trade unions for unemployed graduates, setting aside 25% of new employment opportunities in the 100% union owned clothing factories, artisan apprenticeship job application assistance for unemployed matriculants, 500 university level bursaries per year, support for numeracy and literacy development for young learners, development of young SACTWU members, and other initiatives.

The union's NEC is proud to make this announcement as a concrete trade union contribution to help make Youth Day a special one this year, now that we have national consensus on the core priorities as set out in the Youth Employment Accord.

The details of the SACTWU programme are as follows:

- 20 industry machinist internships  at about R550 per week for a 6 month period, for inexperienced unemployed youth =  R286 000;

-10 industry workplace internships for unemployed graduates (SACTWU bursars) at R6 000 per month for 6 months =R360 000;

-10 union workplace experience placements in SACTWU for unemployed graduates at R6 000 per month for a 6 month period = R360 000;

- 10 grants to help 10 unemployed matriculants with applications for artisan apprenticeship programmes in our industry =R 6 000;

Totals: assist 50 unemployed youth at about R3 300 per month for a 6 month period with direct job placement related assistance = R1 000 000

In addition, we will:

- introduce a policy that, starting from June this year, at least 25% of all new employment opportunities at the two 100% union controlled clothing factories in KZN would be set aside for unemployed school leavers, supplemented with new/additional internships; this is expected to be about 50 new job opportunities . This is expected to cost R2m per annum.

- subject to a feasibility study, set up a new clothing factory in the Eastern Cape with new employment opportunities for approximately  50 unemployed youth, later this year. This is expected to cost at least  R6m (inclusive of once off set up costs of about R4m plus a wage bill of about R2m during the first year for the new youth employees only. Total employment would probably be about 100 during the first year though);

- 5 interns at about R700 per month for 6 month period in the SACTWU Worker Health Programme = R91 000 per annum;

- R5m per annum in bursaries for about 500 students;

- R700 000 per annum to support numeracy and literacy programmes for 93 000 young learners in 236  schools;  

- Matric Winter School support for 345 matriculants at R500 000 per annum;

- Development support for SACTWU young members at R650 000 per annum.

In the period ahead, we will develop a clear project management plan to implement this programme, the first of its kind announced by a local trade union.

Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union