SEDA graduates empowered to start their own businesses and create employment

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, delivered the keynote address at a Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) Furntech, at a graduation yesterday, for 17 unemployed young people. They completed their SEDA training delivered by Furntech, a business incubator for the furniture industry, on furniture making and upholstery. The learners come from areas such as Nyanga East, Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and Mitchells Plain and are now expected to start their own businesses and create much-needed jobs with the support of SEDA’s business development services.  Read more below:

‘Skills are essential for economic growth and the City is committed to growing Cape Town’s economy by providing a steady skills pipeline. We don’t train just for training’s sake. To achieve this, we partner with numerous stakeholders.

‘The City has a long–standing partnership with SEDA, which enables us to better assist businesses and link them to the various branch offices across the City, providing easier access.  SEDA also has a dedicated business advisor at the Business Hub, which provides the City with the capacity to offer more established businesses better individual attention,’ said Alderman Vos.

The City also has a partnership with Furntech to use the building, which the City refurbished, to support emerging and small businesses and training unemployed youth in the sector, giving them the skills they need to provide livelihoods for themselves and future employees.

One of the graduates, Samkelo Nkawu from Philippi, said: ‘When we started the programme, I had no knowledge of furniture making. Now I am happy that I can assemble a cabinet. For the first two weeks of training, we were introduced to health and safety regulations in a work area so that we can be aware of any possible dangers in the workplace. We spent another two weeks conducting theory and learning about the tools necessary to do the work required. SEDA has encouraged us to start our own businesses, and they will provide coaching and business development support.’

‘As we start to recover from the impact of the lockdown measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic together with the officials in the Enterprise and Investment Department, I will continue to work hard to ensure that our economy and businesses have access to skilled people, thereby ensuring that we can get back to work and build a stronger, diverse and inclusive economy in Cape Town,’ said Alderman Vos.