Cape Town - It was billed as the “Day of 1 000 Opportunities” and despite the inclement weather, hundreds of young people from the Cape Flats and surrounds flocked to the Athlone Stadium to be recruited for training and potential employment in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.
The event was organised by CapeBPO, which has partnered with the province and the City for the growth and development of the industry in Cape Town.
More than 10 BPO companies were present at the stadium to interview prospective students.
Others involved were the Jobs Fund through the National Treasury, the College of Cape Town, the BPO Skills Academy, Future ED, SA Youth Mobi and the Department of Labour.
Following interviews, selected students were offered opportunities to train within the chosen host company where they would be provided with a monthly stipend.
Organisers CapeBPO said typically, between 70% and 80% of those who had participated in events like yesterday’s had been kept on by the host company, helping in the creation of meaningful employment.
Premier Alan Winde and Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger attended the function to lend support and encourage the young people.
Speaking to a group of candidates before their interview, Winde said: “The opportunities offered to you today are the first step towards your future. If you are nervous, that is great. It means you want to succeed.”
He told them it would empower and equip them in a sector that was growing exponentially in both the province and the country as a whole. Winde said the programme was vital to boosting job creation and ensuring the youth became a part of the solution to reducing poverty.
Wenger said: “While we, as a province and a country, face significant challenges, it is days like these that really give me hope that, together, we are taking the action needed to ensure that our tomorrow is better than today.”
She said the event was the perfect illustration of the province’s Growth for Jobs Strategy in action, “through partnership and innovation – hand-inhand with the private sector”.
