Briefing Paper

Improving Prospects for South Africa’s Youth: Education, Vocational Training Still Key Priorities

“This paper examines South Africa’s progress in building young people’s human and labour-market capacities through education. Longitudinal data from Afrobarometer and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation’s (IJR) Transformation Audit indicate that the South African government has succeeded in increasing access to education for the current generation of youth. However, an analysis of unemployment data and trends in higher education participation rates paints a less rosy picture for the prospects of South African youth, particularly Black youth.”