By Charmaine Ndlela

Ten of the 69 graduates who completed the National Certificate in New Venture Creation have already secured employment, as the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA) renewed its call for stronger partnerships to create more opportunities for young South Africans.

The graduates were recognised at a ceremony hosted by Services SETA in partnership with the City of Johannesburg Department of Social Development and the Phosaane Institute at the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel in Sandton on Friday.

The programme equipped unemployed youth with qualifications in entrepreneurship, business management and employability skills, preparing them for both formal employment and business ownership.

The initiative enrolled 98 unemployed young people, with 69 successfully completing the qualification. Services SETA said the programme achieved one of its highest completion rates nationally.

Acting Chief Executive Officer, Sibusiso Dhladhla, congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to use their newly acquired skills to create opportunities for others.

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“Nationally, most of our programs, our success rates range between 40 to 70%, so this is one of the highest success rates in terms of the program that we roll out, which is 70%,” Dhladhla said.

He stressed that participants who did not complete the programme should not be viewed as failures but as individuals who still have an opportunity to succeed.

“We don’t use the term ‘failure’. We say ‘not yet competent’ because it gives people the opportunity to return, improve and become competent,” he said.

“In fact, we don’t use the term failure.We say not yet competent, which then gives a space for you to become competent,” he said.

Dhladhla announced that 10 graduates have already entered the job market and expressed confidence that many of the remaining graduates would become entrepreneurs.

“I’m told that we have 10 who have actually been successfully employed. And I’m hopeful that of the remaining, there will be those that start their own business opportunities. The qualification is called new venture creation, meaning the start of new business, meaning it’s founded on the principles of entrepreneurship. THe goal for employment is obviously a honorable goal,” Dhladhla said.

He urged graduates to transform their business ideas into viable enterprises through incubation and business development support.

“So that idea that you have in the back of your mind, you need to incubate it, structure it in a way that it becomes a successful business.There is no business that came from heaven. It came from someone’s ” he said.

“So we need to start thinking positively around the concept of small business development. It’s one of our primary targets as well as an organisation. That beyond training, we also need to look at the fact that not everyone that we train will be employed, so we should create the opportunities and avenues for entrepreneurship, for business development.”

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Dhladhla also highlighted the growing demand for skills development opportunities, revealing that although only 100 participants were recruited, more than 30,000 applications had been received.

” To get to the 100 and the 98, to the 68, which is sitting here, it’s not by chance. It’s that opportunity that you were given. So as the graduates sitting here, we need to consider that as well to say, yes, you may be smart, you may be above average, above the norm, but that opportunity comes from thousands who did not make it,” he said.

Services SETA noted that the remaining graduates require continued support through employment placement, internships, workplace exposure, mentorship, enterprise development and improved market access to ensure they transition into meaningful economic participation.

The organisation also highlighted its broader investment in entrepreneurship development, including its R84 million partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand to strengthen entrepreneurship education and innovation.

City of Johannesburg Executive Head of Social Development Martin Ngwako Lebea described the ceremony as a celebration of resilience and the power of collaboration.

“This partnership between Services SETA, the City of Johannesburg and the Phosaane Institute demonstrates what can be achieved when government, skills development institutions and communities work together towards a common goal and objective,” he said.

Lebea said youth unemployment remains one of South Africa’s greatest challenges, but emphasised that young people should be recognised for their potential rather than their circumstances.

“This achievement represents more than a certificate. It represents new confidence, new capabilities and new possibilities.”

He praised the fact that 10 graduates had already secured employment and encouraged those pursuing entrepreneurship to use their skills to build sustainable businesses capable of creating jobs in their communities.

“As a city, we remain committed to ensuring that social development is not only about responding to challenges, but also about creating pathways towards dignity, independence and economic participation. We believe in programs that empower residents with practical skills and connect them to opportunities,” Lebea said.

Following the graduation ceremony, Services SETA is currently hosting its Partnership in Progress stakeholder engagement, where government, industry and private sector partners are expected to make measurable commitments to support graduate absorption, entrepreneurship and youth employment.

The initiative forms part of Services SETA’s broader strategy to strengthen collaboration between government and industry, creating sustainable pathways from skills development to employment and entrepreneurship.

Lebea said the overwhelming demand for the programme underscored the urgent need to expand similar initiatives and strengthen partnerships that create opportunities for young people.

He reaffirmed the City of Johannesburg’s commitment to tackling unemployment through collaboration, skills development and economic inclusion.

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“The future of Johannesburg depends on empowered communities and young people who believe that they can create change,” he said.

Lebea congratulated the graduates, encouraging them to view the qualification as the start of greater achievements, broader opportunities and meaningful contributions to their communities and the economy.

He called on more organisations to partner with government to expand opportunities for young people, stressing that addressing youth unemployment requires a collective national effort.

“We need all hands on deck for us to be able to change the current situation. This is the only country that we have and we have to build it ourselves, brick by brick. And if we are going to lose this war for empowering young people, I always say that this is the war that you cannot afford to lose because the consequences of losing it are more catastrophic than the war itself,” Lebea said.

Lebea encouraged the continuation and expansion of similar initiatives, saying broader partnerships between government, the private sector and skills development institutions would create a greater impact in addressing youth unemployment.

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