The Holy Grail of Youth Employment in Tourism

The Visit Stellenbosch Youth Employment Project is an exciting initiative designed to connect local youth graduates from training institutions with employment opportunities in the tourism sector.

This collaborative effort brings together three key stakeholder groups: local training institutions including Bergzicht Training and Development, the Pinotage Youth Development Academy (PYDA), and Stellemploy; the students and graduates of these institutions; and the 260 member businesses of Visit Stellenbosch.

On 22 October 2024, the Visit Stellenbosch Youth Employment Project was showcased during a Visit Stellenbosch member session at Asara Wine Estate. I had the privilege of facilitating a panel discussion with representatives from the three key stakeholder groups.

The discussion provided valuable feedback and insights into what we believe to be the holy grail of youth employment in tourism:

• Tourism sector-informed training: Ensuring that graduates’ skills and competencies align with the needs of the industry.
• Internships and work-integrated learning: Addressing the gap in work experience among jobseekers through placements within our member base.
• Market access facilitation: Creating direct connections between graduates, training institutions, and employers.

The Visit Stellenbosch Youth Employment Project 2024 highlights are:

• The launch of the PYDA Tourism Practitioner Programme, ensuring sector-informed education.
• Agreements with the Stellenbosch Accommodation subsector (SPM) and both Bergzicht Training and Development and PYDA, to provide practical experience for students through internships and Work Integrated Learning.
• Ongoing efforts by Visit Stellenbosch to integrate learning institutions and graduates into the tourism job market.

The Visit Stellenbosch Youth Employment project ultimately aims to empower Stellenbosch youth by fostering sustainable employment opportunities within their own community.

Those interested in participating or offering internships can contact development@visitstellenbosch.org.

The panel included Emmalene Ravell, Programmes Lead for PYDA’s newly launched Tourism Practitioners Course, current PYDA student Claudia Carelse, Bergzicht Training and Development CEO Renske Minnaar, SPM Chairperson Annemien Kotze, Lanzerac General Manager Emile Langenhoven, and PYDA alumna Himmlee Plaatjies, now an employee at Lanzerac.