Reducing Youth Unemployment Through Entrepreneurship Education Interventions: The Case of South Africa

Background/purpose: Entrepreneurship training interventions (ETI) have rapidly grown in domestic and international higher education systems. There is evidence that education focusing on entrepreneurship programs can increase employability. Entrepreneurship has been the driving force behind this expansion as a survival approach for economic improvement in South Africa. This study aims to identify the types of entrepreneurship capacity development interventions that are available to unemployed youth. Human capital theory is used as a theoretical foundation to argue that poverty, unemployment, and inequality can be reduced through skill development.

Materials/methods: 18 participants from three institutions were interviewed using a semi-structured interview technique: the Youth Business Advisory Centre (YBAC) in Eshowe, the Zululand Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZCCI) in Richard's Bay, and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) in Richard's Bay. The collected data were analysed using NVIVO version 12 and Microsoft Excel.

Results: Findings revealed that the entrepreneurial capacity development programs available to the unemployed in KDC included, and were not limited to, mentorships, business expos, workshops, coaching, training, online courses, business seminars, and conferences. These programs focused on building critical entrepreneurial skills such as financial management, customer service, and digital marketing.

Conclusion: The study recommends a mandatory computer literacy program before engaging the youth in other programs. The findings are valuable to policymakers who want to develop more effective entrepreneurial programs tailored to the unique needs of the unemployed.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, training interventions, capacity development, unemployment, youth development, education

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