The Social Employment Fund (SEF) is supported and managed by the Industrial Development Corporation to create jobs and strengthen our economic recovery. Since it’s inception just over one year ago, over 89,000 people have been provided with meaningful work in a number of areas which benefit communities as a whole.
As part of the government’s broader economic recovery agenda, the Fund seeks to use direct public investment to support employment opportunities, counteracting job losses and creating an opportunity for growth and renewal.
Social Employment is an important part of the social economy strategy. The Fund recognizes the crucial role played by non-state actors in communities across the country in creating jobs and contributing to tackling our mass unemployment challenge.
In a South African context, there is no shortage of work to be done when it comes to addressing the many social barriers in our society. The SEF aims to support the considerable creativity, institutional capabilities and broader initiatives that already exist in the wider society, to engage people in work that serves the common good.
HOW DOES THE SOCIAL EMPLOYMENT FUND WORK?
Following requests for proposals, Strategic Implementing Partners (SIPs) are contracted to deliver work that contributes to the common good. The SIPs are required to employ at least 1,000 participants in work programmes that are for the common good. Participants are paid for 16 hours of work each week. This provides ‘support scaffolding’ that encourages complimentary livelihood and enterprise activity.
At present, the SEF is working with 35 SIPs, who each operate in a variety of thematic areas such as community health, education, greening, placemaking, arts and culture, etc. These SIPs in turn partner with over 1,000 community organisations and structures. It is these partnerships that create real, tangible and measurable economic change within communities. With the continued partnerships between our SIPs, the IDC and government, the SEF will continue to fund impactful community initiatives that aim to create work that serves the common good.
BUILDING AGENCY AT COMMUNITY LEVEL
Participation in work not only provides much-needed incomes, it also gives people work experience. This builds capabilities such as accountability, time management, teamwork and task management – often along with hard skills too. These are vital for their chances of getting a job in the wider labour market – but also enhances their chances of becoming self-employed or starting an enterprise. To date, at least 65,000 people have participated in the SEF across the country. They are mainly youth and the workforce is 70% female. SIPs carefully design work programmes which match community needs while also enhancing the skills of participants, to boost their pathways out of unemployment.
Some of the key segments within the Social Employment Fund programme are: 1. Health and Care 2. Food, Nutrition and Agriculture 3. Education 4. Safety and Action against GBV 5. Cleaning and Greening 6. Community and Public Art 7. Digital Inclusion.
Navigate to the The Social Employment Fund. For more information and how you can contribute to working for the common good. Download Full Guide to the organisations ethos and practice.
