09/10/2026
🇿🇦My name is Londiwe Kunene, founder of From Youth to Youth, a Christian youth development organisation based in Pietermaritzburg. Our work focuses on mindset development, self-awareness, career guidance, skills development, entrepreneurship and helping young people access opportunities. Our main message today is simple: the world our children are entering is not the same world many of us parents entered. Finishing Grade 12, going to university and obtaining a qualification is still important, but it no longer guarantees employment. South Africa has many young people with matric, diplomas and degrees who are still unemployed. We therefore need to prepare our children not only to look for jobs, but also to develop practical skills, solve problems, create businesses and create opportunities for themselves and others. 🇿🇦
🇿🇦This is why we believe the conversation must begin as early as Grade 8 and Grade 9. Parents, we should not only ask our children which subjects they want to choose for Grade 10; we should also ask: Who is this child? What are they naturally good at? What do they enjoy doing? Are they academically inclined, technically inclined, entrepreneurial, creative or practical? Not every child is designed to follow the same pathway, and there is nothing wrong with that. For too long, TVET Colleges have carried the stigma that they are for learners who are not intelligent or who cannot cope at school. We want to challenge that thinking. Technical ability is intelligence. A child who can fix, build, weld, repair machinery, work with computers, grow food, work with electricity or understand construction is not less intelligent than a child who is academically strong. Our country will always need skilled people because buildings must be maintained, vehicles repaired, farms developed, technology supported and infrastructure built. These skills can also become businesses, meaning a young person can move from asking, “Who will employ me?” to asking, “What can I build, what problem can I solve, and what business can I start?”🇿🇦
🇿🇦Parents also need to understand the TVET pathway. A learner who has completed Grade 9 may qualify to enter the NC(V) programme, depending on the course and admission requirements of the college. The pathway progresses through NC(V) Levels 2, 3 and 4, where learners continue with fundamental subjects while also studying vocational subjects linked to a specific career field. This means a learner does not simply leave education; they move into a different form of education that combines theory with practical and career-focused learning. We are not saying every Grade 9 learner should leave school. Some learners should continue through Grade 12 and university, while others may be better suited to a technical or vocational route. The important thing is to know your child, understand their strengths, listen to their interests and help them choose the correct pathway early. For the current Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners, and even young people who have already completed matric and are sitting at home, this opportunity is also worth exploring.🇿🇦
🇿🇦Another important point is funding. NSFAS provides financial support to qualifying students studying approved programmes at public TVET Colleges, subject to the relevant requirements and eligibility criteria. Parents should therefore not immediately assume that college is unaffordable before getting the correct information. We encourage interested parents and learners to start preparing their documents, including the learner's ID copy or birth certificate where applicable, the parent or guardian's ID copy, the latest school report or Grade 9 results, proof of residence, a working cellphone number and email address where possible. Additional NSFAS documents may also be required depending on the applicant's circumstances. From Youth to Youth will return on 13 October together with representatives from the TVET College, and we will bring laptops to assist interested learners with applications. We will also provide the school with the confirmed list of available courses before the visit, including the programmes that learners may apply for. We understand that Agriculture is expected to be among the available opportunities, but the full confirmed list will be shared with the school.🇿🇦
🇿🇦Our goal does not end with getting a young person into college. We want to create a pathway from education, to skills, to business knowledge, to company registration, mentorship, funding opportunities, income and eventually employment creation. We want our young people to understand that a skill can become a business, a qualification can become a business and a talent can create an opportunity for someone else. So to our parents, please start these conversations early. Do not wait until your child finishes Grade 12 and then ask what comes next. And to our young people: your future does not begin when someone gives you a job; it begins when you discover who you are, what you can do, what you are willing to learn and what you are willing to build. Please prepare your documents, spread the message and come ready to explore your options when we return on 13 October. Thank you to the school leadership, teachers, parents and learners for allowing our message to be shared. Know yourself. Develop your skill. Create your opportunity. Your future does not have to wait for a vacancy. May God bless you, your families and your future.🇿🇦
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From Youth to Youth Organisation
Know Your Purpose to Unlock Your Potential.
