Skills Training News South Africa

EPWP to continue creating jobs

Delegates at the three-day Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) Social Sector conference have reiterated the programme's commitment to provide work and opportunities for unemployed and unskilled people.
Although the EPWP's goal was to create 4,5m jobs in five years it has fallen well short of its target with 850,000 work opportunities created last year.
Although the EPWP's goal was to create 4,5m jobs in five years it has fallen well short of its target with 850,000 work opportunities created last year.

The conference signalled the end of the EPWP Phase II - which started in April 2009 with an objective to create 4.5m work opportunities or new jobs.

Of these, 750 000 were expected to be created by the social sector between 2009 and 2014.

Delegates at the conference heard that the EPWP achieved over 800 000 work opportunities by December 2013, higher than the target of 750 000, but a far cry from the 4,5m jobs that were supposed to be created in five years.

Many of the new opportunities created last year involved early childhood development, home community based care, the School Nutrition Programme, community crime prevention, School Mass Participation and Kha Ri Gude (a mass literacy campaign).

The sector has an obligation to create more that 1m work opportunities, as a set target towards the overall EPWP Phase 3 target of 6m work opportunities.

Representatives from government departments such as Health, Basic Education, Public Works, Community Safety and Liaison as well as the Independent Development Trust attended the conference.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

SAnews.gov.za is a South African government news service, published by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS). SAnews.gov.za (formerly BuaNews) was established to provide quick and easy access to articles and feature stories aimed at keeping the public informed about the implementation of government mandates.

Go to: http://www.sanews.gov.za
Let's do Biz