FACE TO FACE
ATI
Mandisa Nyathikazi, executive director of the Artisan Training Institute( ATI).
MANDISA NYATHIKAZI:
UPSKILLING THE YOUTH
With more than six million youths unemployed in South Africa, preparing the youth for an artisanal career is becoming increasingly important, writes Nicola Theunissen.
One of the major constraints of the South African economy is the high rate of unemployment, especially among the youth.
As job opportunities shrink, so do the skill levels required to transform the country into a global powerhouse. In the desperate attempts to acquire an education, students are often under the impression that a university degree is the holy grail that will ultimately lead to a better life. This couldn’ t be further from the truth. A country dominated by a workforce equipped with only university degrees, is not always the solution to build a viable and solid economic foundation. Artisanal skills, instead, should be the bedrock on which the workforce finds its feet.
The mining, quarrying, and construction sectors abound with opportunities in which young artisanal workers, armed with a technical trade qualification, can flourish. By developing these skills, such operations can contribute in a meaningful way towards the growth and development of people and the country as a whole.
Improving young people’ s prospects for the future through their overall development, especially of technical skills, is close to the heart of Mandisa Nyathikazi, executive director of the Artisan Training Institute( ATI). She spoke to Quarry Southern Africa about this passion in a recent interview.
10 _ QUARRY SA | JULY / AUGUST 2018