EPWP Opportunities Portal

In Government's ASGISA strategy, we have set a goal of halving unemployment and poverty by 2014. To achieve this strategy we have recognised, nationally, that we have to work more closely with women and the youth. Interestingly, the Western Cape Provincial Economic Review and Outlook 2006, indicates that unemployment among young people in the Western Cape is becoming "increasingly dire", despite the fact that the educational profile of young people is superior to that of their older counterparts. Over 52% of 15 to 24-year-olds in the province are unemployed. Among 25 to 34-year-olds, the unemployment rate is substantially lower at 25%, dropping to about 13% among 45 to 54 year-olds. Topping the youth unemployment list is the central Karoo, where 36% of young people are jobless, followed by the city's 29% and the Eden (southern Cape) district's 26%. The unemployment rate of matriculants between 15 and 34 is more than 2.5 times higher than that of those between 35 and 65. "Evidence is mounting that older people are tending to keep their jobs, while younger people are struggling to find employment," the review says. "This has important implications for future economic growth as long-term unemployment begins to erode skills and knowledge that younger labour force members currently have, but are unable to extend or even maintain through employment. The Department of Transport and Public Works has various strategies to address these issues, including the Expanded Publics Works Programme and initiative like Learnership 1000. In this year, the Department is now launching an exciting new initiative called the EPWP Opportunities Portal. The aim of the Portal is to: assist job seekers in finding jobs and employers in finding workers with the required skills, Provide access to job training and related services. Link to existing initiatives and programmes One of the challenges that my Department identified when we set out to develop our Renewed EPWP mandate for the province is that we do not have accurate information on unemployed persons in the province. Available statistics and estimates show the number of unemployed persons in the province ranging anywhere from 300,000 to 600,000. As part of the renewed mandate, my Department has developed the foundation for a provincial database of unemployed persons. We have set out to develop a comprehensive electronic database of unemployed people and their skills - and to assist job seekers in finding opportunities for employment and employers in finding qualified workers. The key initial focus will be on beneficiaries of EPWP and other Public Works Programmes. The database will utilise existing Internet-enabled public access infrastructure (for example the City of Cape Town's Smart Cape centres ; launched by the Premier in 2006) to allow people to get information on programmes, register, develop and update CVs, get access to the Internet and email and apply for jobs. Through training Community Development Workers (CDW's) in the use of the system and calling on volunteers to assist at access points, unemployed persons will have the opportunity to develop their CV's on the database as they participate in EPWP projects or any other short term employment creation initiatives. Potential employers will also have an opportunity to register themselves on the system and to source employees who meet their requirements for specific skills. My department, together with e-Innovation in the Department of the Premier is in the process of developing a strategy and proposal for extending the network of internet-enabled public access points to areas where they are currently not available. Already, we have identified 114 access-points throughput the Western Cape, where the unemployed can register themselves on the Opportunities portal. The success and frequency with which the Smart Cape access points are used in the poorest communities in Cape Town, has shown that, given the opportunity to access information technology, the innovativeness of unemployed persons can be harnessed to not only access employment for themselves, but also to create employment within their communities. On the 20th of November, I will be launching the first phase of going live with the portal. Seven sites, including Khyalitsha, Mitchells Plain, Delft, Bitterfontein and others have been identified in seven of our poorest communities. My Department has already started the ball rolling by registering some fifteen thousand unemployed / under-employed individuals that we had on our Learnership 1000 database on this new portal. EPWP opportunities on all my Department's projects, as well as EPWP projects identified by the Departments of Local government & Housing and others, are being loaded. Persons registered on our portal from townships close to the location of these projects will be selected for interviews and placement on these projects. I urge all unemployed persons to watch this space and to engage their CDW's on where and how they register themselves on the EPWP Opportunities Portal.