Dr. Niki Glen's research on her current research project at Rhodes University

1. Rural Tourism
Development
exit opportunities for
expanded public works
programme (EPWP)
presented by: Dr. Niki Glen
co-authors: Kathryn Fourie & Nthabiseng Moche

2. Purpose
To highlight the urgency of
job creation for the poor and
unemployed people across
South Africa
To start the conversation on
how skills developed through
EPWP programmes can be
applied in tourism economies
as a sector with a demand for
green skills.
Image: Kathryn Fourie

3. 3) Tourism
Development
1) EPWP
Programmes
Approach & Methodology
Develop skills
while providing
temporary work
to the poorest &
most vulnerable
Industry that
offers untapped
job
opportunities &
needs green
skills
How do we support participants to
make this transition?
Expansion of 2018 EPWP
study
Desktop review
Exploratory study
Motivate further study and
model development
2) Poverty alleviation in South Africa

4. What is EPWP?
Expanded Public Works Programmes
Launched in 2004 in South Africa
At least 4.2 million job opportunities created
Provides essential environmental & socially useful services
Various sub-programmes – see next slide
Provides work for unemployed & most vulnerable
Employment is labour intensive and short term
Participants gain work experience & develop skills
Aims to lead to permanent employment

5. Working for Waste Working for Water
Environmental
Monitors
People in Parks
NOW ALSO:
Eco furniture
and other supply
chain services
Working for the
Coast
Working for
Wetlands
Youth
Environmental
Services
EXAMPLES

6. Images: WESSA

7. EPWP challenges in SA
“public works programmes alone cannot resolve national structural
unemployment. The EPWP needs to be complemented by longer-
term measures such as educational reforms and economic
development policies.”: ILO 2018
Finding alternative employment – people get stuck
Short-term nature of projects
Skills development vs sustainable livelihoods
Lack of community consultation >>>> political challenges
amongst community members
Cohesion / collaboration amongst various stakeholders
EPWP operational challenges

8. Indisputable
EPWP has made a significant contribution
towards poverty reduction amongst
millions of poor community members in
South Africa

9. Poverty
Challenges in
South Africa
“If households are able to
accumulate sufficient assets
by either borrowing or
saving, they will be able to
make the transition and
move onto the higher-level
growth path”
Von Fintel, M. (2017). 443

10. WEF Global
Competitiveness
Index
67/140
Unemployment
>27 %
Youth
Unemployment is
critical
Gini Coefficient
60.8
Rural
VS
Urban
Chronic Poverty
~ 50 %
Gender
inequality
Poverty
Challenges in
SA
Source: Klaus Schwab,
WEF. (2018). The Global
Competitiveness Report
2018 World Economic
Forum

11. YOUTH
67 %
younger than
35
SIZE
93 %
households
> 3 people
DEMOGRAPHY
role unclear
LOW WAGES
less than
minimum &
limited
benefits
NO CLEAR
exit strategies
SHORT
EMPLOYMENT
participants
employed for
less than 2
years
EDUCATION
>56 % lower
than
grade 11
GRANTS
78% already
receive
grants
EPWP 2018 Study: Summary of Findings

12. Poverty
Alleviation
Wage
rates
Depen
-dants
Applic-
ability
Dura-
tion
Politics
Skills
EPWP: A Balancing Act

13. Rural Tourism
Development
Tourism is widely
viewed as an effective
industry for job
creation and poverty
reduction: through
involving poor people
in its supply chain,
tourism can be used
as a vehicle to reduce
poverty – worldwide
and in South Africa

14. Tourism Economies in SA
South Africa’s tourism is driven by wildlife, culture and heritage
Every town and community possess some tourism assets (e.g. wildlife
culture, stories, heritage, customs, music, food etc)
Communities lack an understanding of tourism potential
Fragmentation in tourism development and marketing prevents
sustainable development
Image: Prakash Bhikha

15. Opportunities in Tourism
Food – sales & experiences
Craft – sales & experiences
Cultural – tours &
experiences
Wildlife – tours &
experiences
Adventure – tours &
experiences
Sports – cycling, walking,
climbing, kayaking, surfing
Image:Africa!Ignite

16. Opportunities
in Tourism
Many EPWP participants
already have tacit skills &
knowledge required to
access tourism
opportunities, but they lack
awareness of this fact

17. Images: Africa!IgniteImage: Ian Gunn

18. Images: Africa!Ignite

20. Conclusions & Recommendation
1) EPWP
Programme
3) Developing
Tourism
How do we support participants to
make this transition?
Document specific skills, capabilities
and interests of EPWP participants
Develop deeper understanding of
local tourism & supply chain
potential
Do skills demand & entrepreneurial
opportunities analysis
Develop relevant programmes
Document case studies
2) Poverty alleviation in South Africa

21. Contribution
Add to growing body of knowledge
to identify and understand
opportunities for EPWP to deliver
more effectively against is objectives
of reducing unemployment and
increasing the ability for participants
to enter the labour market or access
entrepreneurial pathways – with a
specific focus on tourism

22. Presentation Detail
Title: Rural Tourism Development: Exit opportunities for
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)
Presenter: Dr. Niki Glen, Research Fellow at Rhodes
University Environmental Learning Research Centre
Authors: Dr. Niki Glen, Kathryn Fourie & Nthabiseng
Moche
Conference: 3rd International Conference on Sustainable
Tourism Management (ICSTM 2019) in Budapest, Hungary -
August 21-23, 2019
Acknowledgement: The Department of Environmental
Affairs, South Africa

23. References & AcknowledgementsTHANK
YOU!
Image:WESSA