What Options Do You Have When a Degree Fails to Fulfill Your Desire for Employment?
Networx’s Workplace Readiness Programme (WRP), financially supported by Transport Education Training Authority (TETA), gets graduates set and ready for the workplace. The company enrolled 200 graduates, exposing them to basic employability skills including communication skills, business etiquette, presentation skills, conflict management, business writing, interpersonal skills and self-management.
The training spans six months and is rolled-out in different phases. The first two months of the programme focus on classroom-based mentoring and the remaining four months focus on practical skills in a simulated workplace environment followed by practical workplace coaching. Graduates receive training in entry level positions in (amongst others) logistics, freight, HR, finance, administration, call centre, supply chain, and IT departments.
The South African youth population (between the ages of 15 and 24) accounts 10 million of the overall population. Of the 10 million, 55.90% was reportedly unemployed in the Emelia Mosima second quarter of 2017. Lack of adequate employability skills and lack of persistence to push through the challenges of entry job positions are often cited as some of the reasons behind the high unemployment rate among the youth. Companies such as Networx aim at bridging the gap between the knowledge and skills graduates possess and the skills demands in the labour market.
Commenting on the feedback received from participating graduates and employers thus far, Ursula Dlamini of Networx said, “Graduates highlighted the amount of personal development acquired during the programme and how this has greatly assisted them in adjusting and coping with workplace demands. The employer feedback highlighted the high caliber of graduates deployed. We are inundated with requests for the next roll-out from employers.” Networx acknowledges that other partners in this project, Women in Business Today and transport sector employers specifically, played a crucial role in the success of the programme. Networx’s WRP was rolled out in the Western Cape, Free State, Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal.