Western Cape invites youth to apply for YearBeyond Programme

Image source: HONGQI ZHANG – 123RF.com

YearBeyond is a youth in service partnership between government, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), donors and non-governmental organisations.

Initiated in the Western Cape, the national programme provides unemployed youth, aged 18 to 25, with meaningful work experience and a pathway to further studies or work, while at the same time encouraging a culture of community service.

Western Cape Cultural Affairs and Sport MEC, Ricardo Mackenzie, said in order to qualify, the applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 25, live within a 5km radius of a YearBeyond site, and must be registered on the SAYouth.Mobi platform.

Mackenzie said there were various streams within the YearBeyond programme where the youth can be placed, and some of the streams have additional qualification criteria including minimum matric marks in languages or maths.

“Through the YearBeyond programme, young people who are unsure as to what their next steps are can take up an opportunity to gain a year’s practical experience, improve their CV (curriculum vitae) and gain important skills which will help them to access future employment opportunities as employees or employers.”

The MEC added that the department wanted to offer the youth this hand up to help them take the next steps towards becoming successful adults.

Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, said the programme was critical in preparing young people for the job market and in helping to guide them to their future careers.

“I am very proud of YearBeyond [and] when I meet them, I am always astounded by the enthusiasm and dedication of these young people. This gives me hope.

“While the Western Cape’s youth unemployment is more than 10% lower than other provinces, we must keep working as hard as we can to enable young people to find jobs. I urge all qualifying youths to take advantage of this fantastic initiative,” Winde said.

For more information and to apply, applicants can go to www.yearbeyond.org.

The closing dates for the different streams vary and all information is available online.