JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THOUSANDS of South African youngsters have received training to equip them with basic skills and enable them access job opportunities.

The Telkom Foundation is training the youth aged between 18 and 35 under its Connected Youth project.

Some 300 staff volunteers from Telkom coached the delegates how to best use their mobile phones to access job sites and potential employment opportunities.

The latest training session has been held in Mamelodi outside the capital Pretoria.

“We live in an increasingly digital society which offers great convenience in many areas of our lives but it’s also made it harder for jobseekers to access opportunities if they’re not online,” said Jacqui O’Sullivan Managing Executive Group Communications and Public Relations for Telkom.

In addition to the Telkom staff that volunteered, certain players from the finalists of the 2015 Telkom Knockout, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns, attended the event to assist volunteers with the transfer of skills.

Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize, Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, also attended.

“Many young people have digital access and use it for social media but we have seen that they often don’t know how to go about applying for jobs which they may well be qualified to fulfil. We believe we can help bridge that gap and change the way young people think about their skills and how they approach the job market,” she said.

The Telkom Foundation’s primary objective is to contribute to the transformation of disadvantaged communities through sustainable social investment programmes, particularly in the education sector.

– CAJ News