With young people and graduates now making a large percentage of the growing number of unemployed South Africans, Rosehill resident and Northwood Boys High School alumni, Cameron Lupke, has urged the youth not to loose hope of joining the working force.
Lupke graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2020 with a BCom in Human Resources Management, followed by a post-graduate diploma in Management in 2021.
“I then decided to fulfil a lifelong dream of mine and completed my teaching diploma for Grades 7-9 and FET Phase Teaching for Grades 10-12, which I successfully completed Cum Laude in 2022,” said Lupke.
He started his career at Engen working in the Talent Attraction and Development Department and is determined to succeed after he was accepted into a two year graduate training programme.
“My journey so far has been exciting and interesting learning the ins and outs of the recruitment process which I have really enjoyed,” reflected Lupke.
He added: “I believe it’s important not only to celebrate your achievements but also your failures because it allows us as individuals to conduct some self-introspection into understanding who we are, what we stand for, and what our passions are. Working as a student teacher, I saw how learners who are not top achievers lack the confidence to achieve their goals. I was not an ‘A’ student, nor did I play any first team sports. I only discovered my talents at university while doing my teaching diploma.”
South Africa’s unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2023 was recorded at 32.9 %, and is among the highest in the world. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Statistics South Africa (StatSA), this is an increase of 0.2 of a percentage point compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 meaning the number of employed persons increased by 258 000 to 16.2 million.
“The youth remain vulnerable in the labour market, with the first quarter of 2023 results showing that the total number of unemployed youth (15-34 years) increased by 241 000 to 4.9 million while there was an increase of 28 000 in the number of employed youth to 5.6 million during the same period. This resulted in an increase in youth unemployment rate by 1.1 percentage points to 46,5% in Q1:2023,” said StatsSA spokesperson, Felicia Sithole.
With harsh job market prospects facing the youth, Lupke advised young people who are facing immense pressure surrounding their future is “to see rejection as mere redirection”.
“If life steers you in another direction, embrace it. It can lead you to opportunities you never knew existed,” he added.
