Post by Palladium: Make It Possible

Last week, Palladium participated in the inaugural Siyakha Sonke (“We Are Building Together”) Working Group, convening mining companies, educators, NGOs, government, and industry bodies to address youth unemployment in South Africa's West Rand. Catalysed by GOLD FIELDS and facilitated by Palladium, the initiative is focused on turning dialogue into action—aligning partners around shared solutions, strengthening pathways from education to employment, and connecting stakeholders to drive sustainable job creation and economic diversification. This is urgently needed in a region where unemployment exceeds 50% and the skills required by an evolving, increasingly automated mining sector are rapidly changing. "What stood out in this first session was what can happen when the right stakeholders are in the room together," says Palladium's Erin Leyson, who helped facilitate the Working Group. The session underscored what is possible when entities collaborate rather than work in silos—from TVETs, to mining companies, regulators, NGOs, local government and everyone in between. Siyakha Sonke aims to build on this momentum, developing a model that supports young people to secure economic opportunities while enabling mining communities to adapt and thrive in a just transition. #SiyakhaSonke #YouthEmployment #SkillsDevelopment #SouthAfrica #Mining #JustTransition #PartnershipsForImpact l The Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL), Wits University l Afrika Tikkun l Meg Kauthen l Concentric Alliance (Pty) Ltd l Wits Enterprise