The Walter Sisulu Center of Entrepreneurship and Rapid incubator (CfERI) has collaborated with the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority (AgriSeta) learnership programme which endeavours to provide skills development. 

The AgriSeta has awarded the CfERI with an amount of One Million Rands to train 30 unemployed youth in plant production for 12 months. The partnership serves as the beginning of a meaningful agreement to develop agricultural skills, that will offer great opportunities for youth in the Eastern Cape province. 

Agriculture forms part of the National Treasury’s proposed economic recovery plan, part of which focuses on reversing the current economic trajectory that is characterised by stagnant growth, rising unemployment and high levels of inequality.

 The CfERI Director, Dr Thobekani Lose, showed a huge enthusiasm about this initiative, as said “this partnership is a strategic initiative to reduce the unemployment rate among youth in our province, and it will offer opportunities for youth to start their agriculture schemes”.

 He further mentioned that the mission of CfERI is to encourage and inculcate entrepreneurial thinking for the start-up of small businesses such as small-scale agricultural projects. Skills and capabilities obtained from this learnership programme aim to create innovative youth to accelerate the economic growth of the Eastern Cape province.

The CfERI is set to coordinate the learnership programme that is expected to commence in May 2022. The CfERI is ready to facilitate the learnership programme by means of offering the necessary equipment and facilities.

By Siphokazi Makhanda (CfERI Marketing Intern)