Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi requested the De Aar community to use the newly-opened Employment Centre to search for jobs and develop entrepreneurial skills.
“Let us disrupt the status quo, acquire learning and be training to become employers,” Moloi said during the official opening of the new Employment Centre in De Aar, Northern Cape.
The office is part of the Department’s Public Employment Services (PES). The objective is to assist work seekers to have one foot in the door of the job market.
The Department has embarked on a national programme to take services to the people by building fully connected Employment Centres. These PES offer various services, including registration of work seekers, job search, CV compilation and access to counseling services.
Moloi appealed to the De Aar community to desist from the practice of vandalism and destruction of property when feeling aggrieved. “Protect the Employment Centre dearly. I do not want to come back and find things broken,” she pleaded.
The centre also acts as an assessment area used by Career Counsellors.
Employment centres are operational in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Mdantsane and Newcastle. The centres are located at Department’s Labour Centres.
An Employment Centre is a one-stop shop for clients where all Departmental services are integrated and beneficial towards placement in job/learning opportunities or self-employment. The centre will assist surrounding towns and other areas. It also forms parts of a District Development Model that seeks to integrate service provision. The SETAs and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) committed to working closely with the Department.
PES Deputy Director-General Sam Morotoba said the programme is gearing up to open more Employment Centres, targeting areas with high unemployment rates. Morotoba encouraged young people to explore opportunities in faraway places and not only restrict themselves to their locality.
Northern Cape has the highest rate of unemployed youth in the country.
According to Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2023, the youth unemployment rate (15-34 years) in De Aar stood at 54,5 percent. Contributing factors towards youth unemployment are lack of skills and training, limited access to resources and opportunities.
During 2022/23, 34 000 work seekers registered in De Aar, with 6 411 registered employment opportunities.
De Aar, the third-largest town in the province, also known as Maraisfontein, houses the most important railway junction in the country. The town is a major production centre producing wool and livestock farming.
The opening of the De Aar Employment Centre is in collaboration with other government departments, Sector Education & Training Authorities (SETAs) and the local municipalities in the province to host National Careers Week and Fairs.
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