A normative stage model for youth development in selected areas on the Cape Flats

Abstract

Youth unemployment is a petrifying reality on a large scale in the township areas and exacerbated by limited economic opportunities, which warrants responsive youth development strategies. Often entrepreneurial skills are overlooked and instead the focus is based on transferring generic skills in order for the youth to find employment. The Cape Flats suburb in the Western Cape is subject to economic strife and therefore it is imperative to include a platform to develop entrepreneurial thinking through the pursuance of dreams/goal setting when attempting to address youth development. The transfer of entrepreneurial skills in a township context is imperative to support local economic development strategies and policy making. The research design adopted a quantitative methodology approach employing a purposive sampling technique for data collection of individuals residing in the Cape Flats area. The piloting of the research instrument was statistically tested to ensure validity and reliability prior to commencement of the main study. The study involved a cross sectional design and a sample of 650 participants. The study utilized SPSS for the quantitative analysis and involved descriptive statistical analyses, correlation and regression statistical application. With the current economic outlook plagued by the high unemployment rates, particularly amongst the youth, there is economic policy uncertainty and growing disillusionment. The lack of economic opportunities that the youth are subjected to prompts them to access scarce resources out of desperation, which are often actions which are not consistent with the legal framework of South Africa. Socio-economic factors such as gang affiliation, substance abuse, prostitution and teenage pregnancy is often a knock-on effect when acting out of desperation to access scarce economic opportunities. This study presents a normative stage conceptual model of youth development using entrepreneurship as a means of increasing access to economic opportunities. The model focuses on pursuing dreams/goal setting as a start to aim at entrepreneurial outcomes. Developing the youth in this way increases their entrepreneurial skills and makes them more marketable in obtaining opportunities. Stepwise regression was used to determine the influence of the independent variables – role models, limited economic opportunities, entrepreneurial skills and youth development on the dependent variable – pursuance of dreams/goal setting. Role models, entrepreneurial skills and limited economic opportunities collectively explained 8% of the variance in the dependent variable (r = .08, p < .00), pursuance of dreams/goal setting. The study provides a normative stage conceptual model that suggests the inclusion of entrepreneurship into policy making and local economic development strategies in township development on the Cape Flats. The study has practical implications for contemporary skills development and training of the youth. The findings of this study have a direct influence on policy development and implementation of local economic development with a specific focus on job creation and greater economic participation. Local economic development strategies must take into account the influence of entrepreneurship and in particular, interventions focused on entrepreneurial thinking. Policy makers must not merely focus on generic skills transformation but must include private sector partners for more holistic skills transformation. Greater emphasis in this regard must be given to public private partnerships. Local economic development policy must take into account current and future skills that will be required in diverse industries in order to equip individuals sufficiently.