B Maneli
One of the key priorities in the ANC’s 2024 Election Manifesto emphasised speeding up economic growth and creating jobs as vital to resolving the structural challenges of unemployment, so the recent launch of the R650 million Labour Activation Programme by the Minister of Employment and Labour must be welcomed.
Creation contracts to the value of about R650 million were signed during the Cape Town Launch in January this year to spur employment opportunities and were signed with 12 labour partners which sets out to create more than 17,330 jobs in vital sectors including retail, hospitality, agriculture, tourism, transportation, and information and communication technology (ICT).
Last Friday, the 28th of February saw the Minister launch the Eastern Cape leg of the Labour Activation Programme (LAP) of and host a Jobs and Career Fair at Mthatha Stadium. The Minister handed over R906 million to Labour Activation Programme partners to stimulate job creation in the Eastern Cape, targeting 23000 unemployed beneficiaries. The LAP programme is being rolled out nationwide with over 350,000 jobs across all nine provinces, and thus far, 29 partnership agreements have been finalised benefiting over 107,764 individuals.
The LAP Programme positions the Department as a key catalyst in job creation by supporting businesses to create employment initiatives, re-skilling of the youth, and providing training such as Skills Programmes, Learnerships, and Apprenticeships, with the aim of alleviating poverty. Through the LAP Initiative, employers and work seekers interact with the objective of ensuring that the unemployed and underemployed can access both work and learning opportunities.