Abstract
50 million people in South Africa, of whom nearly 70% are under the age of 35, a 25.2% official unemployment rate (May 2012) and a national Vision 2030 (2011a) to reduce unemployment in SA to 6% by 2030 send a strong message that education, training and skills development are important.
Reflections on the piloted Human Resource Management work experience project initiated by the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Management and the outcomes from the 18th World Association of Cooperative Education’s World Conference round table session on workplace-readiness are the impetus for this paper contribution. A brief background to cooperative education and work integrated learning will set the scene, with legislative aspects providing a backdrop to the opportunity that the South African post-school education and training sector has to make a difference in the lives of students, to empower them to enter the world of work with confidence.
11 million jobs by 2030? Reduction of the current unemployment rate to 6 percent by 2030? Workplace-readiness skills are proposed as one solution.