Unemployed Batswana need job counselling and career guidance according to Minister of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development Mpho Balopi.
He believes this can help them to be job ready and even become entrepreneurs.
“Government has undertaken to provide counselling to unemployed persons, this undertaking was not made during the 2019 General Elections the counselling of unemployed persons commenced as far back as the 10th July 2018. My Ministry has a data base of job seekers who register at labour offices across the country and this includes some unemployed youth. This database shows that a total number of 138 470 people registered from 2016 to date, of which 70 percent of the core 96 929 are youth,” Balopi told parliament on Monday.
He said among the job seekers registered for counselling 1 530 were counselled in Gaborone and surrounding areas and the age range of those who participated in the counselling workshop is from 15 to 35 years. In some instances, age gap was beyond 35 depending on the gap identified.
“Topics include among others CV writing, interview skills, application letters, productivity and smart working ethics youth empowerment schemes, personal image job search strategies, people skills, money skills and entrepreneurship skills and financing the power of social media in job search. The counselling will be later rolled out to other regions in the last quarter of 2020/21 in order to make it more inclusive,” he said.
Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang had asked the minister to consider the difference in meanings between counselling and job seeking as they are not the same.
“The difference is that when you are talking about career guidance and counselling it refers to something else as opposed to when you are looking for a job. There could be counselling that could aid you eventually to be able to be well-structured in your disposition to be able to understand how and what it takes and how you can be able to access the labour market,” Balopi said.
Furthermore, the ministry of labour has planned more workshops in the current and next financial year. In view of the shortage of man power the ministry is working in collaboration with Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Non-governmental organisations, Business Botswana and volunteers to carry out these functions.
The ministry is also working with Human Resource Development Council HRDC on the development of a labour market information system which will capture labour market information including unemployed graduates for the purpose of assisting in finding employment and counselling component is incorporated in the statement of user requirement. The system will enhance outreach to all young persons and to allow them to link up with professional counsellors online.