The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Commissioner, Teboho Maruping, will officiate the certification ceremony of 2 000 learners undergoing learnerships that are aimed at creating jobs in various skill disciplines.

The learnerships are being undertaken through a R158 million partnership agreement between the Dr John Langalibalele Dube Institute (JLDI) and the UIF, an entity of the Department of Employment and Labour. The majority of learners are former UIF contributors who lost their jobs and registered on the Department’s Employment Services of South Africa database, as work seekers.

The learners are currently undergoing theoretical and practical learnerships in Rock Breaking, Data Collection, Assistant Chefs, Nail and Beauty as well as Game Farming. As part of learnerships, the learners have completed a Financial Management module that was conducted by Nedbank through a joint venture between the bank and JLDI.

The banking giant has also committed to training the learners on Consumer Awareness Programme. The training is accredited by Bank Seta and each learner will receive an additional accredited certificate. Nedbank will also support learners who have already formed cooperatives with guidance and access to markets.

Already, 136 of the learners have been employed by Evaluations Property Intelligence – a company that conducts property evaluation and property assessment including data collection for municipalities such as eThekwini, Tshwane, and Johannesburg while efforts are underway to ensure that all learners find employment or venture into business upon completion of their learnerships.

Source: Department of Labour