President Cyril Ramaphosa, this week, commended the launch of Phase V of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI): “The initiative returns to townships, villages, inner cities, farms and special needs schools, bringing hope, energy and income to places where opportunities are too often out of reach,” he said.

The programme was also under discussion during the Joint Portfolio Committee meeting as it contributes to the smooth transition from school to post-schooling and the world of work collaborative programme initiatives. A total of 200,000 youth at over 20,000 South African schools are participating in the BEEI Phase V youth employment programme. The initiative is a flagship programme of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) which has, since its inception in 2020, supported the delivery of jobs and livelihood opportunities in our country. The BEEI is implemented by the DBE and PEDs, funded by the Department of Employment and Labour’s UIF Labour Activation Programme with the Industrial Development Corporation as the paymaster.

Ms Lala Maje, BEEI Programme Manager and Director for Initial Teacher Education at the DBE, said that the Department received 1.9 million applications for 200,000 job opportunities. The young people will be provided with soft and hard skills to improve their employability wherein increased access to opportunities for entrepreneurship, for studying or being employed would be made. This happens whilst teaching and learning time is protected through the capacity provided by youth in schools.

President Ramaphosa emphasised the practical impact of the programme noting that it is designed to develop the work skills that employers say they need, such as time management, task management, teamwork, problem solving, ICT and administration. “Together, these roles provide real work experience to young people and vital support to our education system. We do believe that this will have a much longer-term benefit for the employability of young people. This is but one initiative that seeks to address the youth unemployment challenge. We still have much more to do to address the plight of young people,” he said.

Participants undertake roles aligned to school priorities to ensure exposure to a skills development programme, adding value, enhancing the learning environment for learners and strengthening learning outcomes. Curriculum Assistants support Mathematics, Science and Technology, Reading Champions promote literacy and a culture of reading, Laboratory and Workshop Assistants support technical subjects, whilst others support ICT and school administration and also assist with essential maintenance, such as fixing doors, painting peeling walls, maintaining school vegetable gardens and playgrounds. Care and Support Assistants work with School Support Teams to identify and support children at risk. Others offer support in respect of sports, art and music, activities that inspire learners, uncover their talents and build pride in communities.