Highlighting Topics that Matter Most to the Youth of Today
In South Africa, June is known as Youth Month, marking a period of reflection during which we acknowledge the lessons of the past and apply them in establishing the vision for the future. This Friday, 16 June, Youth Day commemorates a pivotal turning point in South African history; its liberation from Apartheid and long road to democracy.
Late President and Father of a Nation, Nelson Mandela, spoke a universal truth when he said: “Our most valued treasure is our people, especially the youth”. The youth of today are our leaders of the future: they are the ones who, right now, are establishing the vision for the future and setting the strategy for getting there.
At Carrick, we have our eye set on the future, and in keeping with the importance of learning from the past, we’ve asked the next generation of leaders for their insights.
Four of our future leaders – students in the Carrick Development Academy (CDA) – share their perspectives on Youth Day and what they believe to be some of the most pressing challenges facing the youth of today. They also allow us a peek into their future career plans.
Ottice Sibiya, Johannesburg Office
- What does Youth Day mean to you?
Youth Day is a day when we celebrate the autonomy of the youth and its influence on society as a whole in terms of the policies and ideologies which we are surrounded by; for me, it’s remembering the past, because it is also the future. It represents a turning point for South Africa.
It is important that we as the “born-free generation” understand the courage and unity that it took for the youth of ’76 to revolt against an unjust system so we can learn from these strong souls in order to challenge and conquer the difficulties that we face in our struggles against the issues of social inequality, unemployment and poverty.
- What do you perceive to be some of the main challenges facing the youth of today?
“Employment has been an ongoing problem for the youth of our country and stands to be a direct link to the low GDP growth of the country.”
To be honest, there are many issues that are challenging the youth of this country, but I chose unemployment for a specific reason, seeing that the rest of the issues are directly or indirectly related to the unemployment rate.
I see the following as key reasons for the high unemployment rate:
- Lack of relevant skill sets;
- Lack of available entry-level jobs with a career potential; snf
- Lack of information, connections and networks.
“Employers and the society at large ought to have a direct interest in making investments that will improve young people’s ability to succeed in the world of work.”
These investments can take many forms, such as volunteering in schools by individual executives; engagement of the firm in training; and employment or work experience programmes.
Identified solutions to some of these key challenges faced by the youth are:
- A commitment to hiring, training and mentoring the youth;
- Engaging with training-to-employment programmes for youth;
- Promoting youth entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education.
Joshua Hutton, Cape Town Office
- What does Youth Day mean to you?
To me, Youth Day symbolises a time in the year that we (as adults) need to take a step back and recognize the struggles that young people are going through on a daily basis.
More and more is expected of the youth in today’s societies;
“Youngsters are continually required to perform better, faster and smarter at younger ages.”
To me, it is a day that adults need to think of ways to provide more guidance and mentorship to the youth in today’s world.
- What do you perceive to be some of the main challenges facing the youth of today?
- Trying to balance the expectations of their parents, teachers, employers and societies.
- Trying to understand what they are good at.
- Trying to decide on a career path that is most suitable for each individual.
- What are your future career plans?
I plan on being an associate adviser for Carrick from next year onwards – for hopefully a few years.
I would, in that time, like to complete an MBA in Finance and then continue my career within Carrick as a senior manager, finally progressing towards being an active director for the company contributing towards the continual growth and expansion of the Carrick Group of companies.
Razia Gathoo, Johannesburg Office
- What does Youth Day mean to you?
June 16 is about remembering the past, because it is also the future. It represents a turning point for South Africa.
- What do you perceive to be some of the main challenges facing the youth of today?
Our youth of today is the future. I find that a lot of our youth is in a hurry to grow up, but in rushing through the process they get tied up in a world whereby the acknowledgement of taking their time to prepare for their future is not so much a priority.
To address this challenge in particular I would say urging our youth to start believing in the reality of them holding the future in their hands is a phenomenal way to uplift their spirits and encourage them to strive for the highest successes that their skills have to offer.
Host regular talks at schools and create blogs of encouragement just to add that touch of focus.
- What are your future career plans?
My future career plans are to simply grab every opportunity of success: which I have certainly grabbed here at Carrick. Being a member of the CDA is certainly shaping my future career: without all the mentoring, development and knowledge at my fingertips my progress to date would never be possible. A massive thank you to Rashay Makan (CDA: Managing Director) and this outstanding development programme he has put together alongside the other directors and managers involved. The CDA opportunity assists in shaping not only my future but also that of many other young individuals who are and still will be part of the CDA.
Jana Mangold, Cape Town Office
- What does Youth Day mean to you?
One has to understand the history of this day’s origin. The day is celebrated on 16 June every year in order to recognise the role of youth in the liberation of South Africa from the Apartheid regime.
To me, this day is about honouring our youth and to respect the youth about what they have accomplished in their lives. We need to remember the past because it represents a turning point for the future of South Africa. The youth in fact represent the future of our country and its views should always be considered.
- What do you perceive to be some of the main challenges facing the youth of today?
Education will always be a challenge to our youth.
Everybody still does not have equal access to education. Pre- and Primary school education should in my opinion be free to everybody. Therefore, the government should provide its financing in the annual budget. Where possible, the same should be done at secondary school level.
The financing of tertiary education should be a combined effort by the state, private sector as well as those parents who can afford the fees.
Another challenge is to provide employment opportunities to the youth. The unemployment figures among the youth are extremely high. A stipend (small wage) should be introduced to create opportunities for the unemployed youth. Private companies should be persuaded to assist government in this regard.
- What are your future career plans?
First of all, the CDA graduate program is the ideal start to any aspiring financial adviser.
“My generation is often told that we are either over-qualified or that we lack experience. The Carrick Development Academy not only provides me with the necessary working experience but enables me to further improve my career.”
I would love to work for a company that shares the same passion as I do which, in this case, would be to continue working at Carrick.
Things I would want to achieve in addition to my BComm Investment Management degree, would be to successfully complete both my CFP and CFA examinations.
About CDA: Annually, the Carrick Development Academy (CDA) attracts top graduates who aspire to lead wealth and capital management into a new realm of professionalism and success. The 18-month development program offers structured on-the-job learning, technical industry training as well as professional development and insight into the day to day role of a Carrick Associate.
