More than 100 young, unemployed agriculture graduates in KwaZulu-Natal will be placed on 12-month internships on farms across the province through the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programme.
WIL, also known as WIL-4, is a joint initiative between the Future Farmers Foundation, AgriSETA and Kwanalu. The four-year-long project aims to provide employment and practical experience for future agriculturists in the province.
“Our core focus at Future Farmers has always been on non-graduates. However, in partnership with AgriSETA and Kwanalu, we have extended this opportunity to young, unemployed graduates as well,” explains Future Farmers founder Judy Stuart.
WIL has been running annually since 2016. Each programme is funded by AgriSETA. The current programme has been in operation since August 2020.
CEO of AgriSETA Dr Innocent Sirovha says, “AgriSETA’s mandate is to uplift the agricultural sector and to assess the impact funding can make on youth training programmes.
“The Future Farmers’ WIL programme is not only about jobs, but about these youths going on to create opportunities and about sustainable growth in the sector.”
Stuart adds, “Many of these graduates, having proven their value, have been offered permanent positions on the farms where they have been placed. Others have gone on to be selected for, and benefit from, the Future Farmers overseas internship programme.”
Kudos to AgriSETA
“The WIL-4 programme is a great opportunity for young people to grow their expertise and bring their internationally acquired wisdom back to South Africa,” believes Sirovha.
Participants in WIL-4 work with many agricultural products and commodities in KwaZulu-Natal. This includes cheese, beef, pigs, avocados, maize, vegetables, rabbits, hydroponics, flowers, nursery, poultry, dairy, indigenous herbs, macadamias and forestry.
“These programmes have provided excellent results and we are hugely proud of the talented young farmers who are emerging. A number of these have already been identified as suitable for our overseas internship programme,” says Sirovha.
Kwanalu chief executive Sandy La Marque praises the farmers who play a pro-active and progressive role in making a positive and practical contribution to ensuring that learners are receiving coaching and learnerships.
“Their support and commitment to the programme is essential to supplement the education of these young future farmers on top of the theoretical training that they have already completed.”
Kwanalu commends both AgriSETA and Future Farmers for the immense value they bring to the future of the industry, adds La Marque.
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