Job seekers connected with work opportunities
4 June 2019
Yesterday, 3 June 2019, I visited the Lulaway Workforce Development Project in Bellville that is funded by the City of Cape Town. The purpose of my visit was to check-in with young people who are participating in job readiness training at the facility, as we kick-off a number of activities to commemorate Youth Month.
I had the pleasure of meeting two very inspirational young people during my visit. If their positive, can-do attitude is the norm among their peers then South Africa is on the right path to success in the future.
In 2017, the City embarked on its first outcomes-based workforce development programme to improve residents’ access to employment opportunities. Lulaway runs the three-year programme on behalf of the City. This project also assists SME’s with their talent recruitment at no cost to them.
The Lulaway project is a success story of what working together as partners can achieve. The City’s partnership with the organisation is helping to tackle youth unemployment as the programme focuses on preparing young people to become ready for the world of work. This ties in with our strategic objective of being an opportunity city which enables economic growth and facilitates job creation.
Since the beginning of 2018, the organisation has registered over 21 000 young people on their jobseekers database, trained 5 472 and placed 2 968 in permanent jobs.
Individuals have been placed in a variety of jobs such as administrative positions, general workers, security officers, sales and cashiers, beauty technicians and contact centre agents, among a host of other opportunities.
Beauty Mnxulu, is 26 years old and lives in Khayelitsha. Beauty shared her story of determination after struggling to find work for four years. She heard about the Lulaway workforce development project from a friend and decided to sign up. She participated in the job readiness training and went for interviews and it wasn’t long before she landed a job. Beauty is now employed by Lulaway as a recruitment agent.
‘When I went to the job readiness training, even that was a dream come true for me because the people who were teaching us did it with passion. I knew it was going to help me find a job and not long after I was employed. I meet different people every day, people are struggling to find work but I am determined to help. Because of what I was taught by the Lulaway people, I am doing my job with passion and I love what I do,’ said Beauty.
Zikhona Yeko, 24 years old and also from Khayelitsha, told us about how she struggled to find work but she never gave up hope. She heard about Lulaway from a friend and went to register herself on the jobseekers database. After completing her training, she went for an interview and is now employed as a sales agent for Cell C and already has her sights on climbing up the corporate ladder.
Zikhona said, ‘The struggles I went through are part of my success because that is what made me strong. When I got the call from Cell C, I felt like my prayers were answered. My goal is to make sales, work harder and bring my A-game because I want to become a manager.
According to the forthcoming Economic Performance Indicators for Cape Town (EPIC) report, the strict unemployment rate for individuals aged between 15 to 24 years is estimated at 44.7% for the first quarter of 2019. This figure has marginally increased from 44.4% in the previous quarter.
Youth unemployment continues to be a problem in South Africa and the above numbers paint a grim picture. But young people need not despair, as opportunities abound to adequately prepare them to enter the world of employment.
Additionally, I would like to call on private companies and potential employers to get involved by hosting unemployed individuals for workplace experience opportunities too.
Government alone cannot create job opportunities. While we do as much as we can, we need the private sector as partners in this journey to make a dent in youth unemployment.
The City has established around 20 job centres to train and connect job seekers with employers across the metro.
The job seekers registration and assessment drives have been very successful in attracting job seekers. More than 100 job seeker registration drives have been done in areas across the City.
Lulaway is incentivised to train job seekers by identifying, preparing and placing them in education, training and ultimately securing permanent work opportunities for programme participants. The requirement is that these employment opportunities must be with big business and SMMEs across the city.
Errol Freeman, Lulaway Director and Cape Town Project Director said: ‘This project utilizing the Lulaway ecosystem has significantly changed the landscape of youth unemployment in Cape Town. Our close collaboration and support from the City has enabled its success and we look forward to expanding and continuing to provide innovative sustainable solutions in the province, empowering youth and growing our economy.’
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