About NYDA
The National Youth development Agency (NYDA) is a South African-based agency established primarily to tackle challenges that the nation’s youth are faced with. The NYDA was established by an Act of parliament, Act no 54 of 2008.
The agency derives its mandate from legislative frameworks such as the NYDA Act (54 of 2008), the National Youth Policy (2009-2014) and the draft integrated Youth Development Strategy as adopted by the Youth Convention of 2006.
The institution was established to be a single, unitary structure, established to address youth development issues at National, Provincial and Local government level. The existence of the NYDA should be located within the broad context of South Africa’s development dynamics. Like many developing countries, South Africa has a large population of youth, those between the ages 14-35 represent 42% of the total population.
The NYDA plays a leading role in ensuring that all major stakeholders such as the government, private sector and civil society, prioritize youth development and contribute towards identifying and implementing long-lasting solutions that address youth development challenges. The NYDA focuses on:
- Tailor-made interventions for job preparedness and placement
- Scholarship provision for those who excel in schools
- The scaling up of the YouthBuild Program for out-of-school youth
- The increase of second chance opportunities for matriculants
- The intensification of NYDA’s highly successful career guidance program
Furthermore, the NYDA designs and implements programs that are aimed at improving the lives of young people, as well as avail opportunities to youth. These programs could be clustered as follows:
- Individual (Micro) level: The NYDA provides direct services to youth in the form of information provision, career guidance services, mentorship, skills development and training, entrepreneurial development and support, health awareness programs and involvement in sport.
- Community (Meso) level: The NYDA encourages young people to be catalysts for change in their communities through involvement in community development activities, social cohesion initiatives, National Youth Service programs and social dialogues.
- Provincial and National (Macro) level: Through its policy development, partnerships and research programs, the NYDA facilitates the participation of youth in developing key policy inputs, which shape the socio-economic landscape of South Africa.
NYDA Business Management Training
In a constantly changing environment, having Life Skills is an essential part of being able to meet the challenges of everyday life. The dramatic changes in global economies over the past decade have been matched with the transformation in technology and these are all impacting on education, the workplace and in household settings.
To cope with the increasing pace and change of modern life, young people need new life skills such as the ability to deal with stress and frustration. Today’s youth will have many new jobs over the course of their lives, with associated pressures and the need for flexibility.
Among the many products and services that the NYDA provides, one of these are the NYDA Business Management Training program. This program is aimed at creating a conducive environment for young entrepreneurs to access relevant entrepreneurship skills, knowledge, values and attitudes for their businesses.
The NYDA Business Management Training program offers entrepreneurship trainings that responds appropriately and adequately to the market and business needs of the young people.
This NYDA training courses is designed to support young entrepreneurs in the following stages of the businesses:
- Pre-start Up / Idea generation
- Survivalist
- Start Up
- Early Development
- Growth & Expansion
The NYDA Business Management Training courses on offer are approved and accredited by ILO, The International Labor Organization. Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) is the largest global business management training program. It assists small scale entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses and create employment. These training courses are offered as a 3-6 day training course depending on the specific needs of the young person and the level of the business.
- Generate Your Business Idea (GYBI)
This course enables potential entrepreneurs to develop a concrete business idea. The course takes 3 days to complete. Upon completion on the last day of training, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for the 3 day GYBI training course completed.
- Start Your Business (SYB)
This course enables potential entrepreneurs to develop a bankable business plan and enhance their skills and knowledge. The duration of this course is 5 days of training and 1 day of pitching. Certificates for the participants of this course are issued only at the pitching session.
- Improve Your Business (IYB)
This course enables existing entrepreneurs to develop their skills and improvement plans for the business. The IYB content is divided into 2 courses, where each of the 2 courses consists of 5 training days and 1 pitching. What differs the 2 courses from one another is the modules covered.
Applying for the NYDA Business Management Training
In order to be eligible to apply for the NYDA Business Management Training program, there are certain criteria that you must meet. These eligibility criteria include the following:
- Be a South African citizen and hold a valid South African identity document (ID)
- Be aged between 18 and 35
- The business must be 100% youth owned
- Be a young entrepreneur wanting to access a grant or voucher and do not meet the requirement of the program
Once you are certain that you meet all of the eligibility criteria, you may start your application for the NYDA training program by visiting the closest NYDA branch and obtain the application form. Fill in the application form thoroughly, then submit it along with all of other required documents to the nearest NYDA branch.
A desk assessment will be conducted by the branch. Of approved, you will be provided with the following:
- Notification of the approved training course
- Logistics for the Training
- Logistics for the Pitching Session
Participants must present their South African identity document (ID) at the first day of the training. Participants attending the SYB and IYB courses will also be required to attend a mandatory Pitching Session on a date scheduled by the branch.
Upon completion of the NYDA training program, participants will be issued with a Certificate of Completion for participating in the NYDA training course.
For further details, please refer to the NYDA Business Management Training web page.
