The Sprout Foundation was formed to see the unemployment crisis in South Africa change for the better. There is a great need for assistance with study and employment opportunities by the youth of South Africa, particularly within under-resourced areas.
The Sprout Foundation aims to equip high school learners, graduates and unemployed youth with the necessary information and guidance to pursue further studies and employment opportunities. Majority of matriculants in the country are not aware of the options available to them after they finish school. The access to information and resources about career options are limited. This leaves them confused on what their options are for the future or feeling hopeless.
Being exposed to a variety of vocations from a schooling level, will help guide study and career choices better. Most high school leavers are only aware of the vocations they have known growing up – nurses, lawyers, doctors, teachers etc. This can be very demotivating for those that do not have the ability or funding to study one of the more well-known career fields. However, if introduced to a greater variety of vocations and options, goals for the future will feel more tangible.
Many learners aren’t aware of the funding and training opportunities available to them. Trades and the informal sector also seem to be disregarded, when in fact there is much potential and opportunity in these fields.
The Sprout Foundation hopes to inspire the youth to dream about their plans for the future, instead of being demotivated by the lack of knowledge and access they have to information. As our name, Sprout, suggests, we hope to plant seeds of hope and excitement for the future and allow those dreams to bloom.
In our second blog post, we dive deeper into how we can achieve this.
