By Denira Gounden
Fifty years after the youth of 1976 took to the streets demanding a better education, a new generation gathered on Youth Day to explore the education, training and career opportunities that can help shape their own futures.
The National Skills Fund (NSF) participated in the Skills on Wheels initiative as part of the 2026 Youth Day commemoration, joining government institutions and other stakeholders in providing young people with information on opportunities available within South Africa’s Post-School Education and Training (PSET) system.
The engagement provided a platform for young people to learn about different pathways into further education, occupational training and skills development. Participating organisations included the NSF, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, and other stakeholders working to advance youth development.
For the NSF, the commemoration provided an opportunity to take information directly to young people. NSF officials engaged attendees on available funding opportunities and NSF-funded skills-development pathways, while distributing information material to help young people better understand the opportunities available to them. Officials also interacted with Skills Development Providers (SDPs) involved in training and learnership programmes aimed at equipping beneficiaries with knowledge and practical skills.
The engagement reinforced an important message: commemorating the sacrifices of the youth of 1976 must also involve expanding opportunities for today’s generation to acquire skills and participate meaningfully in the economy.
Education remains central to youth empowerment
Delivering the keynote address, President Cyril Ramaphosa reflected on the progress South Africa has made in widening access to education since the advent of democracy.
“Since 1994, access to schooling has been significantly expanded,” said President Ramaphosa.
The President also highlighted the scale of government support for students pursuing post-school education, noting that “NSFAS approved funding for more than one million students at universities and colleges”.
His remarks placed education and skills development at the centre of the country’s efforts to expand opportunities for young South Africans.
Executive Chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency, Dr Sunshine Minenhle Myende, similarly reflected on the broader impact that access to education can have on young people and their families. “The government through NSFAS has produced many graduates, many people that are first graduates in their families through NSFAS,” said Dr Myende.
Her remarks highlighted how access to post-school education can have an impact extending beyond an individual beneficiary, creating opportunities that can influence families and communities.
Connecting young people to opportunities
Throughout the commemoration, NSF officials engaged young people on skills-development opportunities and career pathways supported through NSF funding, including interventions intended to respond to South Africa’s scarce and critical skills needs.
The interaction was particularly important for young people who may be interested in further education and training but do not necessarily know where to begin, what opportunities are available or which institutions and programmes can assist them.
By participating in initiatives such as Skills on Wheels, the NSF is able to bring information closer to potential beneficiaries and strengthen awareness of the pathways available through the broader PSET system.
For the NSF, youth development is ultimately about more than access to information or training. It is about ensuring that skills-development opportunities can become pathways towards qualifications, employability, entrepreneurship and meaningful economic participation.
As South Africa commemorated the courage and sacrifice of the youth of 1976, the Skills on Wheels initiative provided an opportunity to focus equally on the future — ensuring that today’s young people are informed, equipped and empowered to pursue the opportunities available to them.
Through continued investment in skills development and collaboration with government, training institutions, Skills Development Providers and other partners, the NSF remains committed to helping build a generation of skilled young South Africans capable of contributing to their communities and the country’s development.
