Black youth have regressed in acquiring skills in the past 20 years compared to their coloured, Indian and white counterparts, statistician general Pali Lehohla said on Monday.<\/p>\n
“Black youth between the ages of 25 and 34 lost out in acquiring skills through the 20-year period, and that is the crux of the issue of youth unemployment,” he said in presenting a report on youth unemployment from 1994 to 2014.<\/p>\n
Youth unemployment was at 36.1%, with jobless youth making up 75% of the country’s unemployed, Stats SA’s Lehohla said.<\/p>\n
There were various causes for the inadequate skills development, Lehohla said.<\/p>\n
These included the apartheid legacy, the closure of teacher and nursing training colleges, weak administration in education (such as the non-delivery of textbooks), ineffective teaching, and the role of parents in the education of their children.<\/p>\n
Skilled employment among whites reached 61.5% in 2014, from 42% in 1994; Indians and Asians 50.7% (26%); coloureds 22.5% (12%); and blacks 17.9% (15%).<\/p>\n
SA university entrant skills at Grade 5 level<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n South Africa\u2019s critical skills shortage<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n