Youth Skills Development Programmes at the Department of Tourism: Training and Career Opportunities in Tourism and Hospitality

The South African Department of Tourism offers a range of youth skills development programmes aimed at building skills, work experience and professional capacity in the tourism and hospitality sector.

The programmes provide opportunities in areas such as tourism and hospitality, culinary skills, tourist guiding, internships and tourism safety. Some initiatives also support experienced chefs and women already working in tourism management.

For young South Africans interested in building careers in the tourism industry, these programmes can provide an opportunity to gain practical experience, industry knowledge and, where applicable, recognised training or workplace exposure.

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What Are the Department of Tourism Youth Skills Programmes?

The Department's Youth Skills Programme brings together several skills-development interventions designed to address skills requirements within the tourism sector.

The programmes are aimed at different groups, including:

• Unemployed youth

• Tourism and hospitality graduates

• People interested in culinary careers

• Aspiring tourist guides

• Existing chefs without formal qualifications

• Graduates seeking workplace experience

• Young people interested in tourism safety

• Women already working in tourism management

The eligibility requirements, duration and application process differ from one programme to another.

1. Tourism Graduate Recruitment Programme

The Tourism Graduate Recruitment Programme is designed for unemployed graduates who have qualifications in tourism and hospitality.

Its objective is to provide participants with skills, knowledge and experience that can help prepare them for employment in the tourism and hospitality sector.

The programme runs for 12 months and consists of a work-readiness workshop followed by placement with host employers. Participants who successfully complete the programme receive certificates of completion through participating host employers.

Who Can Apply?

According to the Department, applicants should:

• Be between 18 and 35 years old

• Have a tourism or hospitality qualification

• Be South African citizens

• Be unemployed graduates

• Provide a certified copy of their ID

• Provide certified copies of relevant qualifications

• Provide proof of residence

• Include other relevant certificates where applicable

• Declare previous participation in Department of Tourism learnership or skills programmes in their motivational letter

People with disabilities are also included among the targeted beneficiaries.

Participants receive a monthly stipend.

Enquiries can be directed to skillsdevelopment@tourism.gov.za.

2. Culinary Skills Programmes

The Department's Culinary Skills Programmes are aimed at unemployed young people who want to develop careers in the tourism and hospitality industry.

The training focuses on food preparation and related culinary competencies.

Depending on the particular programme, training can run for three, six or 12 months.

Areas of Training

The Department lists several culinary skills areas, including:

• Food safety and hygiene

• Baking and pastry skills

• Grilling skills

• Food pairing

• Fast food preparation

• Food and beverage skills

• Professional cookery

Participants who complete the relevant training programme receive accredited certificates.

The listed eligibility requirements include being aged 18 to 35, being a South African citizen and being unemployed. The Department also identifies tourism and hospitality qualifications among the requirements for the programme and includes people with disabilities among the targeted beneficiaries.

Participants receive a monthly stipend.

Enquiries can be sent to skillsdevelopment@tourism.gov.za.

3. Recognition of Artisan Prior Learning for Chefs

The Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning (ARPL) for Chefs programme is different from the programmes aimed primarily at unemployed youth.

It is designed for employed chefs who already have skills and industry experience but do not have a formal qualification.

The programme enables experienced chefs to have their prior learning recognised and work towards the Chef occupational qualification, SAQA ID 101697. The Department states that the process can lead to a chef qualification at NQF Level 5 and professional designation levels.

Requirements

Applicants must:

• Be at least 19 years old

• Be South African citizens

• Have at least three years' industry experience working as a chef in a brigaded kitchen

• Be able to speak, read and write English

• Demonstrate an interest in food, willingness to work hard and attention to detail

This programme is particularly relevant to experienced chefs who have developed their skills through employment but need a formal qualification to recognise their experience.

4. Women Executive Development Programme

The Women Executive Development Programme focuses on women already working in the tourism sector.

The programme targets employed women in middle management and above and is recruited nationally.

Its objective is to strengthen management capabilities and prepare participants for executive, board-level and other leadership opportunities within tourism. Training is delivered through a recognised South African business school.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must:

• Hold a three-year, SAQA-registered 360-credit Bachelor's Degree or National Diploma

• Be a South African woman

• Have at least three years of managerial experience in tourism, although a portfolio of evidence of prior learning may be considered

• Have access to a computer and the internet

Participants must also be able to attend weekly syndicate group meetings and discussions as well as two compulsory study schools at a selected venue.

5. Tourist Guide Training

Tourist guiding is another important area covered by the Department's skills-development programmes.

The Department describes tourist guiding as an important component of the tourism value chain because guides play a role in informing and engaging visitors and contributing to the country's tourism experience.

In South Africa, tourist guiding is a regulated profession. People who want to become tourist guides must complete appropriate formal training linked to a qualification registered with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). After being found competent, a person receives a certificate through CATHSSETA or another accredited institution and must then apply for registration with the relevant provincial registrar before legally operating as a tourist guide.

Training for New and Existing Guides

The Department supports both:

• Training for people entering the tourist guiding profession

• Up-skilling programmes for existing tourist guides

The training is often needs-based, meaning that the specific training offered can depend on skills shortages and requirements within the tourism sector.

Because the selection criteria vary according to the particular intervention, prospective applicants should check each new programme advertisement carefully.

Enquiries can be sent to TGtraining@tourism.gov.za.

6. Department of Tourism Internship Programme

The Department also offers an Internship Programme for graduates seeking practical workplace experience.

The objective is to help graduates develop work-based competencies and experience that can improve their ability to compete for employment in the broader labour market.

Interns are exposed to a practical working environment where they can develop competencies through work-based learning.

How to Apply for Tourism Internships

The Department advertises internship opportunities through:

• DPSA circulars

• The Department of Tourism website

• Departmental social media platforms

Applications should include:

• A letter of application

• The new Z83 form

• A curriculum vitae

Applicants should use the official advertisement for each intake to confirm the qualification requirements, closing date and other conditions.

7. Tourism Monitors Programme

The Tourism Monitors Programme combines youth development with tourism safety.

The initiative is implemented under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and involves training and deploying unemployed young people at identified tourism attractions and sites.

The programme aims to improve tourism safety awareness, address vulnerabilities within tourism operations and provide participants with practical work experience.

Training and Work Experience

Tourism Monitors undergo training, mentorship and deployment to identified tourism sites.

The programme runs for 12 months, with:

• Three months dedicated to theoretical training

• Nine months dedicated to practical workplace training

Participants are also trained in customer care and protocol so that they can interact appropriately with tourists, visitors, diplomats, dignitaries and other high-profile guests.

Tourism Monitor Requirements

According to the Department, applicants must:

• Be South African citizens

• Be unemployed

• Be between 18 and 35 years old

• Have no criminal record

• Live within a 25 km radius of the training location

• Not have previously participated in an EPWP programme

Successful Tourism Monitors receive a monthly stipend.

The Department also states that successful candidates sign contracts and undergo security vetting.

Why These Programmes Are Important for Young People

The tourism sector includes a wide range of occupations beyond traditional travel and hospitality roles.

The Department's programmes provide exposure to areas including:

• Hospitality

• Professional cookery

• Food preparation

• Tourism management

• Tourist guiding

• Tourism safety

• Customer service

• Administration and professional workplace environments

For graduates, the combination of formal qualifications and workplace exposure can help bridge the gap between studying and entering employment.

For unemployed youth, programmes such as culinary training and Tourism Monitors provide opportunities to acquire practical skills while gaining experience in a real-world environment.

Stipends and Certificates

Some of the Department's youth programmes provide participants with a monthly stipend.

The Tourism Graduate Recruitment Programme, Culinary Skills Programmes and Tourism Monitors Programme, for example, specifically state that participants receive monthly stipends.

Certificates also vary according to the programme. Culinary participants receive accredited certificates upon completion, while the Graduate Recruitment Programme provides certificates of completion through participating host employers.

Applicants should not assume that every programme has identical funding, certification or employment arrangements.

Who Should Consider Applying?

These programmes may be relevant to people who are:

• Interested in tourism and hospitality

• Looking for tourism-related workplace experience

• Unemployed and seeking practical skills

• Tourism or hospitality graduates

• Interested in professional cookery

• Experienced chefs without formal qualifications

• Interested in becoming tourist guides

• Interested in tourism safety

• Women seeking management and leadership development in tourism

• Graduates looking for internships

The specific requirements should always be checked against the official advertisement or programme information before applying.

How to Find Current Opportunities

The Department of Tourism advises that its programmes are advertised through its official website and social media platforms.

Tourist guide training opportunities are also advertised when specific interventions are available. Internship opportunities are advertised through DPSA circulars, the Department's website and social media channels.

For general skills-development enquiries, the Department lists:

Email: skillsdevelopment@tourism.gov.za

For tourist guide training:

Email: TGtraining@tourism.gov.za

For Tourism Monitor enquiries, the Department lists Mr John Ndhlovu, telephone 012 444 6391, and email ndhlovuj@tourism.gov.za.

The Department of Tourism Youth Skills Development Programmes provide several pathways for South Africans to develop skills and gain experience in the tourism and hospitality sector.

The programmes cover a broad range of opportunities, from the 12-month Tourism Graduate Recruitment Programme and culinary training to tourist guide development, internships and the Tourism Monitors Programme. There are also specialised opportunities for experienced chefs and women working in tourism management.

For young people considering careers in tourism, hospitality, culinary arts, tourist guiding or tourism safety, these programmes can provide an opportunity to develop sector-specific competencies and practical experience.

Applicants should carefully check the latest official programme advertisement, eligibility requirements, application dates, location and documentation requirements before applying, as different programmes have different selection criteria.

Official source: Department of Tourism – Youth Skills Programme