JOHANNESBURG – 04 November 2019. Youth unemployment affects millions around the world, as such, contributes to increasing global poverty. To address this challenge, various researches highlighted a need for sustainable collaborative efforts particularly around public-private partnerships.
It is against this background that today Nestlé, ABB, Nielsen, Adcorp, Life Healthcare and Publicis launched the Regional Alliance for Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa in Johannesburg as part of a long-term commitment in improving employability of youth in the region.
Alliance partners are like-minded organisations focused on the achieving key goals which are, helping young people navigate the rapidly changing work environment and combining efforts and resources to create a more meaningful impact. The alliance will focus on creating and implementing employability programmes, mentorship and training initiatives designed to equip young people with essential workplace skills. Companies across the region, irrespective of size, operation or turnover; are therefore urged to join the Alliance.
“Youth employability remains one of the critical challenges facing us as a region. It is a societal challenge that requires a societal response. We believe that communities cannot thrive if they fail to offer a future for younger generations. That is why we are determined to help young people develop their skills so that they can find jobs or even create their own businesses,” said Bruno Olierhoek, Chairman and Managing Director for Nestlé East and Southern Africa.
“We have joined forces as different organisations who share the same vision when it comes to addressing this challenge. This is just the beginning. We are therefore making a clarion call to other organisations to come on board in making a positive difference,” added Olierhoek.
“As we continue to seek solutions to our unemployment crisis, the Adcorp Group facilitates access to bursaries, learnerships, apprenticeships and internships which not only help young South Africans develop the skills the need for entry-level employment but also allows us to establish a talent pipeline for entry-level positions,” said Adcorp’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Cheryl-Jane Kujenga.
“We are operating in a time of disruption that is changing the way business operates on a global scale. As we move forward with unprecedented speed into this digital era, we are cognizant of the fact that it is critical to ensure that our youth are not left behind. Digital holds so much promise, but it also has the potential to create even greater divides and further exclusion. We are passionate about uplifting and developing our youth but cannot do this alone. Collaboration is required to improve our reach and increase the scale of youth development,” stated Mervin Munsamy, Head of Human Resources at ABB Southern Africa.
Companies that wish to join the Regional Youth Alliance, please contact: Desiree Zikalala on 082 316 0736 or email: [email protected]
About the Regional Alliance for Youth
The Regional Alliance for Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa is an expansion of the Alliance for YOUth which was founded by Nestlé in Europe in 2014. The Alliance has since been launched in Pacific Alliance countries in 2017 (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) and the Mercosur countries in December 2018 (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). In January 2019, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, a Global Alliance consisting of 20 international companies was launched.
ENDS.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Zweli Mnisi
Head of Media Relations and Stakeholder Engagement at Nestlé: South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho and eSwatini
082 312 8940
[email protected]