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National Rural Youth Service Corps programme

The National Rural Youth Service Corps (Narysec) is a youth skills development
and employment programme.

The objectives of Narysec are to:

• train youth through specifically developed programmes linked to community needs in rural areas
• develop youth with multidisciplinary skills through civic education
• capacitate youth in retaining knowledge and technical skills acquired during training
• increase the number of rural communities receiving support in their self-development through the CRDP.

Narysec participants are contracted for 24 months following their recruitment from rural communities.

Recruitment is done through advertisements and selection by community structures. The first part of the two-year programme is a foundational phase, which consists of an orientation programme followed by training in conducting household profiling. Next, household profiling is done in rural areas in conjunction with the Department of Social Development. The youths thereafter undergo a seven-week non-military training programme in the South African National Defence Force.

The programme has been specifically designed as part of the National Youth Service and focuses on aspects of discipline, patriotism and service delivery in rural communities.

The foundational phase is followed by a skillsdevelopment phase. The skills-development programmes presented to Narysec participantsare related to the activities of the CRDP, which are identified by conducting household profiling.

The skills-development programmes therefore vary according to the needs of the various rural communities.

Construction in rural areas has been identified as an immediate focus area of skills development.

The skills-development phase will be followed by the community-service phase, where the youth will apply their newly acquired skills in rural communities under the leadership/mentorship of the responsible department.

The final phase or exit strategy of the Narysec will be linked to the maintenance and operations activities of local and district municipalities. The strategic outcomes of the programme in the long term are expected to be:

• a decline in the level of youth unemployment in rural areas
• an increase in literacy and skills
• an increase in disposable income of youth in rural areas as a result of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities
• decreased dependence on transfers from family members working in urban areas.

In its initial phase, it enlisted 7 958 young people between 18 and 35 years of age, with a minimum educational standard of Grade 10. They were drawn from rural wards across the country, including farms, small rural towns and some periurban areas.

These young people, 50% of whom are women and at least every fourth one a person with some form of disability, have been enlisted on a continuous 24-month contract. Of these, 600 have gone through 10 days of training in self-orientation and life skills through Further Education and Training colleges and 500 have gone through two-months of non-military training, mainly character development, personal discipline and patriotism. Each one receives a stipend of R60 a day, which will be increased as
they receive high-level skills training.

More information and application forms: Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR)

Source: SA Yearbook 2011/12
Editor: Louise van Niekert. Government Communication and Information System

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Last modified: 12 September 2012 09:51:09.