TWO out of three people under the age of 35 are unemployed, while almost 75% of South Africans under the age of 25 do not engage in meaningful employment.
These statistics and the role the maritime industry can play in creating new employment opportunities for the youth of the country, will be explored at the second Youth Dialogue hosted by the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI).
Themed Real Conversations: Employment and the Future in Maritime, the dialogue will take place virtually in the form of a webinar tomorrow, 24 February, from 9am to 12 noon.
It will explore the employment potential and skills development opportunities in three oceans economy sub-sectors: maritime law and ocean governance, seafaring, and marine manufacturing.
“SAIMI is dedicated to providing an advocacy platform for all people vested in the maritime sector. We hope to achieve this through strategic engagements that create awareness and the needed support to achieve South Africa’s National Development Goals and aspirations of Operation Phakisa’s job creation within the maritime space,” said Dr Tanaka Mugabe, SAIMI Project Coordinator.
Participants in the webinar will be drawn from a wide representation of youth members and experts, including facilitator Dr Nonhlanhla Irene Hlazo (Nelson Mandela University) and keynote speaker Ms Noxolo Ncayo (WMU, Alumni and Director, at OceanEcon) as well as representatives from False Bay College, Marine Crew Services (MCS) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
The respondents to youth are stakeholders in institutions that either employ within the sector and/or offer assistance for further work-integrated training which include African Marine Solutions (AMSOL), Transport Education Training Authority (TETA), South African Boat Builders Export Council (SABBEX) and Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA) amongst others.
The first SAIMI Youth Dialogue, Fair Future for Seafarers, was hosted in June 2021 as part of a build-up programme towards the 2021 celebration of the Day of the Seafarer. While the focus of the first webinar was on what a sustainable future for seafarers could look like, youth members participating in the webinar also highlighted employment challenges experienced in the maritime sector.
The youth dialogues form a part of SAIMI’s national Maritime Awareness Programme, DIVE IN. The programme intends to grow participation in the oceans economy and position South Africa as Africa’s leading maritime nation. This SAIMI wants to achieve, by actively promoting skills development and employment opportunities in the maritime and oceans sector amongst the youth demographic of the country.
Register to attend the virtual youth dialogue here: https://divein.co.za/event/dive-in/2022-youth-dialogue/
