“From Learners to Earners”: Manamela in 20,000‑Internship Skills Drive
A R2.9‑billion national programme aims to break the cycle of youth unemployment by placing graduates into real workplace, Minister urges employers to “open their doors.”
South Africa’s push to tackle youth unemployment took a major step forward on Friday as the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, launched the Services SETA 20,000 Internships Programme — To the PowerX² — at the Mahikeng Hotel School.
Backed by R2.9 billion, the initiative will place university and TVET graduates into 24‑month structured workplace learning, with the goal of turning qualifications into employment.
Speaking to employers, labour, universities, colleges and hundreds of young people, Manamela said the programme must be judged by one simple measure: “Does this programme take a young person who has completed a qualification, place them in real work under proper supervision, and move them into employment or enterprise?”
Everything else, he said, is secondary.
The Minister highlighted the scale of the crisis: 21 million young people, only 5.6 million employed, and youth unemployment at 60.9% among 15–24‑year‑olds. “That scale cannot be answered by another conference, another database nobody uses, or another round of enrolments into programmes that lead nowhere,” he said. “It requires workplaces and employers.”
A National Call to Employers
The programme aims to mobilise 3,000 employers across the country, with the first 1,000 placement‑ready graduates already made available to provincial governments. Manamela stressed that employers must become co‑producers of skills, not passive recipients.
“A business that complains about skills shortages but does not train, mentor or recruit is not helping to resolve the problem,” he said. “Government has invested in educating these young people. Services SETA has made the financial commitment. The graduates are ready. What remains is whether South African employers are ready to open their doors.”
He warned against superficial placements: “A young person must leave with more than a line on a CV. Employers must provide meaningful work, not leave them to make tea or photocopy documents.”
A Skills Revolution
Manamela tied the programme to President Ramaphosa’s call for a Skills Revolution, emphasising both digital and technical trades. “Not every young person must work behind a laptop,” he said. “South Africa needs plumbers, electricians, welders, mechanics and technicians. No skill is lower class if it builds the economy.”
Accountability and Transparency
The Minister announced strict implementation deadlines:
30 days: verified schedule, employer pipeline, provincial allocations
60 days: matching and placement underway
90 days: public dashboard showing real placements, stipends, mentors and employer participation
He insisted on strong financial controls to prevent “ghost placements, unsuitable workplaces, delayed stipends, and employers drawing public money without providing training.”
Opening the Door
To young graduates, Manamela offered encouragement: “The opportunity opens the door; what you do once inside it also matters.” But he stressed that government must ensure the door exists — and exists everywhere. “The graduate in Mahikeng, Lusikisiki, Thohoyandou or Upington must have the same opportunity.”
As the programme rolls out nationwide, its success will depend on whether employers step forward. “Experience is multiplied when one employer opens ten, twenty or a hundred opportunities,” Manamela said. “Impact is magnified when a placement becomes competence, and competence becomes employment.”
©Higher Education Media Services