Press release
17 January 2024, KZN – In an effort to increase employment opportunities for South Africa’s youth, BLU and PMI, two leading Adcorp Group brands, have joined forces to provide bursaries for matriculants based in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
South Africa’s youth unemployment is one of the highest in the world. Data released by Statistics South Africa reveals that over 62% of youth aged 15 to 24 years are unemployed, which is almost double the national unemployment rate.
According to BLU, South Africa’s youth are particularly hard hit because the high national unemployment rate means employers have a large, experienced talent pool to choose from. “It’s understandable that employers hire candidates who are more skilled and experienced over matriculants who require more training and coaching,” says Anthony Joss the Managing Executive of BLU. “We have partnered with our sister company, PMI, to close this gap.”
Based on the concept of ‘learn to earn’, the partnership combines BLU’s access to thousands of vocational jobs across different sectors and industries with PMI’s highly regarded reputation as a higher education provider that increases the employability of its students through targeted, industry-specific training.
“The youth unemployment crisis requires a significant partnership between the private and public sector if we want to make a dent in reducing the NEET population (neither in employment or education or training), which is over three million young people in our country,” says Joss. “The Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, which is a multi-sector action plan directed at addressing South Africa’s chronic youth unemployment challenge, is encouraging employers to support the 1.2 million young people entering the labour market each year, but this does not address the skills and experience gap.”
“For decades, BLU has played a significant role in helping job seekers with no experience gain some experience and thus become more employable. This partnership adds to our ability to increase their employability. More than 65% of youth currently remain outside of employment, education and training each year. It’s a massive challenge for our country and one both BLU and PMI are passionate about addressing.”
BLU is a wholly owned subsidiary of Adcorp Holdings and one of the largest workforce solutions businesses in South Africa, employing around 30,000 employees on any given day across sectors, clients and provinces. PMI, also an Adcorp brand, is a registered private higher education provider that offers a range of qualifications that increase the propensity for employment.
“This is the perfect partnership because it combines BLU’s in-depth knowledge of South Africa’s current labour demands with PMI’s ability to offer bespoke, industry-specific training,” says Colette Atkinson the Managing Executive of PMI.
“Adcorp’s purpose is to connect people with jobs and these bursaries will deliver on that promise. BLU’s access to thousands of workplaces across a vast client-base will increase the opportunity for bursary students to secure employment once their training is complete.”
Apply for a bursary
Bursaries are available for all matriculants who are able to attend PMI’s campus in Musgrave, Durban, and applications will be screened according to specific criteria aligned to each qualification.
Matriculants interested in reaching their full potential and increasing their skills and qualifications to improve their employability can motivate their applications on East Coast Radio’s website: https://www.ecr.co.za/big-favour-with-breakfast/bursary-application/
About BLU
BLU is the leading provider of flexible staffing solutions to the economy’s major industries. We source, develop and manage high calibre on-demand staffing solutions according to your operational requirements. We have the experience, labour expertise and operational capability to consistently deliver fully compliant staffing solutions at a national scale.
About PMI
PMI is a private higher education institution with 45 years of experience in providing articulation of learning from vocational to higher education across sectors and occupations. Our focus is on upskilling, re-skilling and future-skilling the talent of tomorrow. We are your flexible workplace training provider and learning articulation partner.
