Y-AGE, short for Youth and Graduate Entrepreneurship Programme, was launched in October last year.

The programme has been described as a turning point in the fight against unemployment.

The country has made substantial progress in transforming the SA economy to benefit all citizens, but serious challenges of unemployment and poverty still remain.

Poverty is one of the greatest socio-economic challenges facing our government today and the people most affected are youth between the ages of 15 and 34 years of age.

Government has always maintained that the size of the poverty situation in SA requires a comprehensive approach that goes beyond social assistance, hence job creation has been placed at the top of government’s agenda.

Y-AGE is a collaborative partnership that aims to practically stimulate a sustainable entrepreneurial culture in South Africa. The programme will support youth in their entrepreneurial projects and new venture creations.

Gauteng’s MEC for Economic Development, Qedani Mahlangu expresses her concern about South Africans who are idle and hope to miraculously become “tenderpreneurs”.

“The biggest economies as well as the small ones such as India and Mexico have entrepreneurs at the centre of their employment and job creation” says the MEC.

Y-AGE brings forward opportunities that will encourage people to put to full use their skills and ideas instead of living hand-to-mouth and depending on government funding.

“Government should be there to create a conducive environment for the entrepreneurs to be able to do their business and contribute to economic growth” she adds.

The government’s commitment to eradicate poverty and unemployment may now seem more realistic with Y-AGE’s ambitious, but reachable target of recruiting and training 125 000 entrepreneurs.

These entrepreneurs will be trained in the intricacies of setting up and running their own businesses with the necessary support. This, in turn will create between three and 15 jobs per business that is established through the programme.

Our economy has created around three million jobs in the past nine years, but this remains inadequate given the large numbers of the unemployed. Y-AGE brings a breath of fresh air and an even fresher approach to tackling unemployment.

The ambition of creating new and sustainable jobs through entrepreneurship can, however only be realised if young people fully take up the opportunity. The country cannot afford to have people just waiting and expecting things to happen.

Young people must stand up, grab such opportunities as Y-AGE offers and contribute to build a better, richer SA.

The Department of Economic Development has pledged its support to making sure that the young people participating in the programme get full support. Part of this support will come through a comprehensive mentorship programme.

After a vibrant, ongoing recruitment campaign, since October 2011, more than 20 000 aspiring young entrepreneurs responded to the opportunity to benefit from Y-AGE.

The current process of selection will see almost half of that number sit in class by March 2012. After the training process, the trainees will continue to receive guidance on how to manage their funds and sustain their businesses. They will be paired with a mentor who has experience and expertise on their business.

According to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor released in June 2011, SA has a very bad record of getting new businesses to survive past the three-and-a-half-year mark. Y-AGE will also benefit SA’s economy by highlighting exactly which markets need to be exploited as well as where new business opportunities lie.

It will paint a picture of hope and the possibility of success both for new and existing businesses.

“By helping aspirant entrepreneurs take advantage of respective market opportunities, Y-AGE will contribute to the national target of five million jobs in this government’s term of office,” Mahlangu pledged.

One major attribute that the country is missing from its diversity, is a culture of entrepreneurship and that is what Y-AGE aspires to promote, first in Gauteng and then in the rest of the country.