The City of Johannesburg intends to tackle unemployment and a lack of opportunities by creating platforms to bridge some of the skill and opportunity gaps.
The Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Councillor Mpho Phalatse and the Member of Mayoral Committee for Housing, Councillor Mlungisi Mabaso, hosted the Youth in Construction Summit on Wednesday, 29 June 2022, at the Brixton Multipurpose Centre.
The main objective was to create awareness and expose the youth to opportunities in the construction industry. It also served as a platform for the youth to ask questions, share thoughts and experiences with industry leaders.
Cllr Mabaso said the City has an opportunity to address difficulties and challenges head on.
“The youth in the City are capable of doing great things. They only need a head start. The summit is just the beginning. We look forward to the outputs of this summit and the knowledge sharing and opportunities that may come from it,” he said.
Cllr Mabaso added that the City and partners in the sector will help transform the construction industry so that the playing field is level.
“The summit should, therefore, activate new ways of thinking. It should also allow us to identify and pave the way to address current and existing barriers that hamper the development of our youth. All our efforts should be about creating a prospective, sustainable and bright future for them.
“This summit should be fruitful. Throughout the day let’s engage and brainstorm with each other to broaden our thoughts and seek ways to improve the lives of the black child within the construction industry,” Cllr Mabaso added.
Mayor Phalatse concurred with Cllr Mabaso on the importance of platforms such as the Youth in Construction Summit.
“Over the last few months, I have been able to engage with a lot of young people. What I picked up is the youth wants to be heard, the youth wants opportunity. The youth don’t want handouts they want to try and they want to achieve,” she said.
Mayor Phalatse added that the summit shows how serious the City regarded the development of the youth. She said it also speaks directly to one of the Seven Mayoral principles of becoming an inclusive City.
“I trust young people to break barriers. The youth bring change and we want you to be active in this space. The City wants to work differently and make changes in a different way. The only way we can do that is by providing the youth with the opportunities to do so. Give them a chance to make their contribution,” she stated.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph
29/06/2022