Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi announced on Thursday that his department is set to recruit 10,000 unemployed young graduates to digitize civil status documents.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the digitization of civil service documents during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 10 February 2022.
Speaking to the media in Pretoria, Motsoaledi said the department has more than 350 million birth, marriage, death and amendment records.
“The category of records dates back to 1895, which requires care and robust systems that will allow for digitization. These records are found in all provinces, with the bulk of them in Gauteng, the North West and the Western Cape.”
Motsoaledi said his department is increasingly using technology to improve the way it delivers services to people and improve document security.
Motsoaledi said the unemployed youth the department recruits should have qualifications in information technology or document, information and record management from tertiary institutions (universities, universities of technology and vocational colleges).
Successful youth will receive a stipend ranging from R5,000 for entry-level positions to R9,500 for technical support level positions and R14,250 for managerial positions.
This cohort will be required to sign a three-year contract linked to the duration of the project.
Motsaaledi said the project will last for three years from November 2022 to October 2025.
Employment of young unemployed graduates will be carried out jointly with the Department of Employment and Labor.
Recruitment will be done in stages.
- Phase 1 will recruit an initial cohort of 2,000 unemployed young graduates.
Advertisements for this phase will be available from tomorrow, August 12, 2022. This cohort will be inducted on November 1, 2022.
- In the second stage, it is planned to recruit another 4,000 unemployed young graduates. This phase will be advertised in October 2022. This cohort will enter service in January 2023.
- The 3rd phase will also include the last batch of 4,000 unemployed young graduates. Advertisements for this phase will be published in December 2022 and January 2023. This cohort will enter service in April 2023.
Youth can register and apply online through the DHA and DEL websites. Those who do not have access to the Internet can visit the nearest job center of the Department of Employment and Labor.
The acquisition process will refer to the following guidelines:
- A fair and transparent process;
- Inclusive of people with disabilities (PWD);
- Available to unemployed young graduates nationwide;
- This is not an internship program but a youth unemployment program;
- The procurement process will take a mixed approach where applications are accepted through reception centres, job centers and digital platforms;
- Advertisements will be placed on social media platforms, radio, print media, television, job centers and the following websites: labour.gov.za and dha.gov.za;
Motsoaledi said 60% of the intake would be young women and 40% young men. “The department will work with relevant stakeholders to facilitate the training of these new recruits.
“The training offered will be relevant to the work they are contracted to do. Continuous training and development activities will be conducted to enhance their employability and/or enable them to take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities outside the project,” Motsoaledi said.
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