Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This study took place in Bishop Lavis, a small community in Cape Town on the Cape Flats, Republic of South Africa. Stratified random sampling was used to select ten unemployed youths that resided in the area. The problem that prompted this investigation and that needed to be addressed was the high unemployment rate amongst the youth and how their aspirations and capabilities contribute to their state of well-being. This community is subjected to extreme poverty, inequality and gangsterism. This places a heavy burden on their ability to escape deprivation and the harsh realities of not ever being able to find a job. These inferior conditions in the community impact heavily on their quality of life. As the youths develop into maturity, their inability to enter the labour market deprives them of aligning their dreams, capabilities and aspirations to the new demands of the labour market. The study is based on the Capability Approach and it is used as an evaluative tool to assess the aspirations and capabilities of the participants. The objective of the study was to bring us closer to understanding how aspirations are developed and whether such aspirations can assist the youths in transforming their capabilities into a functioning. What we learned from this study was that the aspirations of youths failed to develop from an early age and their responsiveness to opportunities has to do with their value system and adaptation to their environment. This qualitative study required consent from the participants and ethical approval from UWC research structures. Through semi-structured interviews, information about the participants’ capabilities and aspirations were recorded and analysed. Based on this analysis and evaluation, new assessment model and assessment tools are proposed as an intervention strategy for policymakers.

<p>The objective of this study was to investigate some socio-demographic aspects and implications of youth unemployment in Galeshewe Township. The study makes use of descriptive statistics to analyze and interpret data collected from a random survey of 947 young persons aged between 18 and 35 years old. An individual questionnaire was administered during the interviews. The results indicate that most unemployed youths are between the ages of twenty-five and twenty-nine years and the majority of them are females. About 58.5% of the unemployed youths have completed secondary education, with 8.9% of them having obtained a tertiary diploma or degree. The majority of the youth do not have previous work experience and this handicaps their ability to secure employment. Most of these young people originate from areas outside Galeshewe. The views collected from the unemployed youth point to the need for government to ensure that tertiary education is accessible in the city in order to improve the level of education of the youth. The government also needs to provide more targeted job creation schemes, especially to those who did well at matriculation level, and to also empower the youth through other skills acquisitions as well as training and programmes that are available.</p>

<p>The objective of this study was to investigate some socio-demographic aspects and implications of youth unemployment in Galeshewe Township. The study makes use of descriptive statistics to analyze and interpret data collected from a random survey of 947 young persons aged between 18 and 35 years old. An individual questionnaire was administered during the interviews. The results indicate that most unemployed youths are between the ages of twenty-five and twenty-nine years and the majority of them are females. About 58.5% of the unemployed youths have completed secondary education, with 8.9% of them having obtained a tertiary diploma or degree. The majority of the youth do not have previous work experience and this handicaps their ability to secure employment. Most of these young people originate from areas outside Galeshewe. The views collected from the unemployed youth point to the need for government to ensure that tertiary education is accessible in the city in order to improve the level of education of the youth. The government also needs to provide more targeted job creation schemes, especially to those who did well at matriculation level, and to also empower the youth through other skills acquisitions as well as training and programmes that are available.</p>

Magister Commercii - MCom / The objective of this study was to investigate some socio-demographic aspects and implications of youth unemployment in Galeshewe Township. The study makes use of descriptive statistics to analyze and interpret data collected from a random survey of 947 young persons aged between 18 and 35 years old. An individual questionnaire was administered during the interviews. The results indicate that most unemployed youths are between the ages of twenty-five and twenty-nine years and the majority of them are females. About 58.5% of the unemployed youths have completed secondary education, with 8.9% of them having obtained a tertiary diploma or degree. The majority of the youth do not have previous work experience and this handicaps their ability to secure employment. Most of these young people originate from areas outside Galeshewe. The views collected from the unemployed youth point to the need for government to ensure that tertiary education is accessible in the city in order to improve the level of education of the youth. The government also needs to provide more targeted job creation schemes, especially to those who did well at matriculation level, and to also empower the youth through other skills acquisitions as well as training and programmes that are available. / South Africa