Youth skills non-profit organisation Afrika Tikkun has warned that nearly five million young South Africans are at risk of becoming economically invisible.

This is as some matriculants and graduates give up on job hunting after months of not getting responses from employers.

The organisation has called for partnerships between government, business and civil society to create opportunities.

Chief Operations Officer Tiyani Mohlaba has emphasised the importance of workplace readiness training and real work experience to equip young people with needed skills.

“We don’t have a youth unemployment problem to say. It’s a partnership debt, right? And the solution for us, based on the experiences, is collaboration between government, business, and civil society. And most importantly, parents, you and I as mentors, as coaches of these young people, we need to make them aware that a job is a first start. We can’t be chosen. I mean, we’ve got opportunities in business process outsourcing, what you call call centres. ICT and agriculture, which young people can basically access, so they must go out and polish their CVs.”

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