Statement by the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos

The first of its kind, this project will offer training and give workplace experience to thousands of young people.

What is most exciting is that the City will be the first municipality to receive funding from the Department of Higher Education and Training to get the project off the ground.

The key to growing our economy and creating jobs is to invest in skills that our young people can use to find employment in sectors which are poised to take off. This is a major feature of my vision and a key aspect of my department’s strategy.

In the first phase of this project, around 3 300 learners will be trained and provided with the opportunity to gain valuable workplace experience in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and clothing and textiles sectors. The Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator Project will therefore provide skills training, stipends as well as job placement into companies.

The primary objective of this project is to focus on providing young people with the skills that companies need, not only training for the sake of it. This will ultimately help companies with developing skills pipelines that will lead to them employing more people.

BPO is a key sector that consistently brings in investment and creates employment opportunities. To mention a prime example, between April and June 2019, Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPeSA WC), which is funded by the City, facilitated more than R389 million worth of investments. This in turn led to 1 624 job opportunities. During the past financial year, BPeSA created 6 000 job opportunities and this sector currently employs 60 000 people in the City.

Over the last five years, this partnership generated investment to the value of R4,7 billion into our city.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to celebrate the phenomenal people working in this sector at the BPO awards ceremony. I am excited to share the news that next year construction will start on a 1 800 seater call centre in the heart of the Cape Flats, known as a previously disadvantaged area.

I would like to thank our partners in National Government, and the National Skills Fund, for their commitment to this project. This would not have been possible without the cooperation of all spheres of government and proves that when we work together, we can achieve great things for the benefit of South Africans.

The City’s investment in the BPO sector has yielded phenomenal results. The sector’s year-on-year growth trajectory is a clear indication that Cape Town is becoming one of the preferred locations for international companies to set up their call centres. The City’s business partner BPeSA WC, is doing a stellar job in positioning Cape Town as the go-to city in Africa and globally for the BPO sector.

This City is taking the jobs to where people live. Where there is a will, there is a way.

I am immensely proud of the work that has been done by my department, which will make a meaningful impact on the lives of the residents of Cape Town. It makes me excited about the economic outlook for this city.

Source: City Of Cape Town