Liberty tackle youth unemployment

"Youth unemployment is one of the most pressing issues facing our nation today. We recognise that finding a workable solution is critical for the future of our country and for our industry. Corporate South Africa has a responsibility to play an active role in working with government to tackle this issue," says Ivan Mzimela, group executive: group strategic services at Liberty.

Liberty has a number of initiatives in place to provide young people with the knowledge and skills they require in order to become employable. Its learnership programme is recognised as industry leading, with 95% of learners having completed the programme since its inception in 2004. The programme has a high retention rate with 63% of learners being employed at the end of their year on the programme. Those learners who aren't retained by the organisation leave with skills and knowledge which make them highly employable.

Endorsed by INSETA

Endorsed by the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA), the Liberty Learnership Programme offers young, previously disadvantaged individuals valuable work experience within the insurance industry. In addition to an NQF Level 4 qualification, learners receive eight months of work experience. The 2012 programme provided an additional 114 unemployed youths with work experience and a qualification in their chosen field.

"One of the key difficulties faced by young people entering the work environment is that they often aren't adequately prepared for the workplace. This affects their ability to remain employed as well as their prospects for career advancement. Liberty is committed to assisting the youth in dealing with such challenges," says Mzimela.

To address this gap Liberty supports the Harambee Initiative, which is designed to tackle this specific issue. Harambee means collective effort or working together in KiSwahili. This initiative trains young people not only on the technical requirements of their prospective jobs but also in the so called 'soft skills' that are required within a professional context. Liberty's participation in this initiative has resulted in the programme's successful implementation within the company with 32 participants being employed in Liberty's call centre in 2012. The Harambee Initiative has been recognised for its stellar work in this field and the programme was nominated for the Mail & Guardian's investing in the Future Awards.

Identifying high-potential graduates

Liberty's Graduate Programme is another youth employment initiative which identifies high-potential graduates and prepares them for successful careers within the group. To date, over 40% of all Graduate Programme participants are still employed by Liberty.

"Harnessing the power of knowledge and education is at the core of our contribution as a responsible corporate citizen. By supporting these types of initiatives we are also investing in the sustainability of our organisation and the industry by ensuring that we have a pool of suitably qualified and experienced young talent coming into the industry. We view the signing of the Youth Employment Accord as an important step forward in the partnership between the public sector and the private sector to ensure the futures of South Africa's youth," concludes Mzimela.