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FoodForward SA’s Youth Internship Helps Address Youth Unemployment

Congratulations to our Youth Supply Chain intern cohorts 11 (Cape Town), 12 (Johannesburg), and 13 (Durban) for completing their six-month programme. Our very successful SETA-accredited youth internship provides unemployed youth with valuable practical experience and training in supply chain, warehousing and logistics and prepares them for the world of work.

A rigorous curriculum providing on-the-job-training

The rigorous six-month training course is comprised of 70% practical and 30% academic components and is provided by service provider, DQ Solutions. The training exposes the interns to an intensive curriculum that covers relevant topics such as occupational health, food safety, documentation handling and topics specific to warehousing and logistics. They also cover important core competencies such as managing self-development, communication, and workplace readiness.

Making an impact through donor support

Thanks to the Industrial Development Corporation whose support helped launch the programme in 2019 and to Woolworths for their continued support of this initiative, we have been privileged to provide training to 55 interns and absorb 20 into various positions at FoodForward SA. Now with a four-year track record of offering this internship, we have seen that on-the-job training works well for the youth. Moreover, through partnerships such as these, the Supply Chain Internship has impacted the long-term success of FoodForward SA by helping grow our skilled workforce and for the food supply chain more broadly.

Aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals

At over 60%, youth unemployment in South Africa remains unacceptably high. Through our Youth Internship Programme, we not only get the opportunity to help reduce unemployment, but we are also aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – SDG1 (No Poverty), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities and SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals).

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