Equipping the youth in KwaZulu-Natal with the necessary skills to create jobs : the case study of Umsobomvu Youth Fund.

Abstract

In 2001 the South African government established the Umsobomvu Youth Fund (UYF) as a

national youth development initiative to promote employment opportunities for young people and

enhance entrepreneurship amongst them for sustainable livelihoods. The UYF focused on three

areas: contact, information and counselling; skills development and transfer, and youth

entrepreneurship. This study aimed to explore the relationship between job creation and the

UYF's skills development and transfer programme. It investigated the impact of the UYF training

programmes in helping youth establish business enterprises and the creation of jobs. Using a nonexperimental

approach, qualitative and quantitative data was collected from purposively selected

UYF personnel and a sample of UYF beneficiaries. The data was thematically and statistically

analysed to determine the programme's role on new firm formation, job creation, and the quality

of life of beneficiaries and their families. The study found a positive impact of UYF's

entrepreneurship education and training programme on new firm formation (self-employment),

disposable income and the quality of life of the beneficiaries and their families. At the same time,

there was a negative impact towards reducing unemployment and creating jobs. Also, the

entrepreneurship education programme did not attract adequate participation by beneficiaries and

its curriculum content did not cover critical entrepreneurship skills. The findings show that more

interventions are required to enable to the Umsobomvu Youth Fund to deliver on its skills

development and job creation mandate better.