President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on both private and public sector companies to employ young graduates despite their lack of work experience.
Speaking at the youth day celebrations at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday, Ramaphosa said the requirement of work experience had become a barrier for employment among the youth.
He said this requirement should be put aside and that companies should employ young graduates regardless of what experience they possess.
“The challenge for unemployed youth is not only one of skills. There are many graduates, who have completed university degrees, who are still unemployed,” said Ramaphosa.
“This is a vast pool of skills and knowledge that is being wasted.”
“Employers need to understand that for our country to succeed, for their businesses to thrive, they must take responsibility for providing young people with the work experience they need.
“They must realise that the only way to get work experience is to get work.”
He says unemployed graduates are a wasted resource for the country.
Ramaphosa says while government will place all their efforts to combat widespread youth unemployment, he calls on private companies to hire graduates