The Department of Employment and Labour’s Labour Activation Programme (LAP) has enrolled 200 young people from the Rustenburg Local Municipality in different training projects within the hospitality sector.

LAP is a programme within the department and is funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

The purpose of the programme is to skill and upskill the unemployed youth and unemployed UIF beneficiaries in order to gain access into the labour market, and establish their own businesses.

According to the department, during the project leaners will be trained to become assistant chefs, baristas, fast foods cooks, convenience food cooks and table attendant.

These trainings are offered through theoretical training and practical work.

According to the Deputy Director: LAP in North West, Jeffrey Zitha, it is envisaged that at the end of these projects, participants will be able to be integrated into the world of work, and also be able to open their own businesses, thus reducing unemployment and also empowering those around them.

“The aim of these trainings is to ensure that youth and work seekers are equipped with the necessary skills that are needed to close the skills gap and to enable the unemployed youth and unemployed UIF beneficiaries to meet the requirements of the labour market,” Zitha said.

He said as much as they will assist in making sure that they are placed in work places at the end of the programme they encourage youth to also look into starting their own usinesses.

“With the current economic meltdown, the department seeks to encourage the youth and work seekers to look into other opportunities that can create employment for themselves and those around them,” he said.

The training initiatives commenced on Tuesday and are expected to run over a period of three months for baristas, fast food and convenient food cooks, while the chef assistant and table attendant training will run for 10 months.

Upon completion, baristas, fast food and convenient food cooks will receive a NQF level 2 certificate, while chef assistants and table attendant will receive NQF level 4 certificates from an accredited service provider.

Source: South African Government News Agency